Department for Transport

Directly Operated Railways

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to page 4 of the Directly Operated Railways Limited annual report and statements for the year ended 31 March 2017, what the revised role for Directly Operated Railways is.

Joseph Johnson: The role of Directly Operated Railways Ltd (DOR) remains as stated in the company annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2017. DOR’s historic role of acting as the holding company for an operator of last resort train operator ceased when that function was taken in-house by the Department on 31 December 2015.

Electric Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the source of consumer concerns relating to ownership and use of electric vehicles; and what steps his Department taking to allay those concerns.

Jesse Norman: Recent research found that 38% of motorists are now considering an electric car or van for their next vehicle. This figure is up from 25% in 2016. However we recognise that some consumers still have concerns about electric vehicles. Recent surveys show that price, provision of infrastructure, and understanding of the technology are the most commonly cited barriers. We are investing nearly £1.5bn‎ between April 2015 and March 2021 in one of the most comprehensive global programmes of support for electric cars, with grants available for plug in cars, vans, lorries, buses, taxis and motorcycles, and schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes and workplaces and on residential streets. The Government has also been working with industry for the past four years through the Go Ultra Low campaign to communicate the benefits of electric vehicles. In particular the Go Ultra Low website provides free advice and practical information focused on addressing the concerns of motorists contemplating making the switch to electric.

Midland Main Railway Line

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of changes to journey time on the Midland Mainline in the event that the Mark 4 InterCity 225 stock is cascaded onto that route.

Joseph Johnson: Whilst an assessment of journey time will be part of the consideration for using this or any other type of rolling stock on this route, it is for the operator to ensure that the rolling stock it deploys to provide its services are capable of meeting their franchise obligations. The Department has therefore not made such an assessment.

Railways: Freight

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans are in place to ensure the timely delivery of the Felixstowe-to-Nuneaton freight rail link.

Joseph Johnson: During Control Period 5 (2014-2019) Government is investing £235m in the Strategic Freight Network (SFN), a ring fenced fund specifically to support investment in rail freight to improve the capacity and capability of the network. This includes the installation of a second track between Felixstowe and Grimston Lane foot crossing on the Felixstowe branch line, which will allow up to 47 trains to serve the port daily in each direction, 14 more than at present. In April 2017, Network Rail published its Freight Network Study, presenting options to funders for enhancing the rail freight network. The study identified the Felixstowe to West Midlands corridor as a key priority for future investment. The Statement of Funds Available for Control Period 6 (2019-2024) includes funding for continued investment in improvements to the rail freight network, and my Department will consider Network Rail’s advice when planning future enhancements.

Railways: Concessions

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the decision was made to expand the 26-30 railcard trial to 10,000 extra participants.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people were attempting to obtain a 26 to 30 railcard when the website crashed on 13 March 2018.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance the Maritime and Coastguard Agency provides on the decommissioning of (a) semi-submersible drilling rigs and (b) other commercial vessels deployed in the North Sea oil and gas industry.

Joseph Johnson: The trial of 10,000 26-30 railcards is an industry-led initiative to gather evidence and to inform discussions between Government and industry about roll-out of the railcard. Delivery of the trial launch, including sales of the railcard, was led by Rail Delivery Group and it was their digital systems that handled transactions and enquiries on the day.

Railways: Concessions

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to extend the trial of the 26-30 Railcard outside of (a) Great Anglia and (b) 10,000 railcards that have been issued.

Joseph Johnson: The trial of 10,000 26-30 railcards is an industry-led initiative to gather evidence and to inform discussions between Government and industry about roll-out of the railcard. Delivery of the trial launch, including sales of the railcard, was led by Rail Delivery Group and it was their digital systems that handled transactions and enquiries on the day.

Transforming Cities Fund

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the cost of bidding for funds from the City Transformation Fund.

Jesse Norman: An assessment has not been made of the cost of bidding for funds from the Transforming Cities Fund, but the Government is mindful of the cost to Local Authorities of bidding for local transport funding. That is why the bidding process for the Transforming Cities Fund has been designed to be light-touch, and eligibility has been limited to the largest English cities to maximise cost-effectiveness for bidders while still delivering value for money for the taxpayer. City regions have been initially encouraged to provide light-touch expressions of interest through a Call for Proposals, and the Department will work closely with shortlisted city regions to develop the strongest possible proposals.

East Anglia Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Greater Anglia rail franchise is meeting its financial performance targets; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: Due to commercial confidentiality, we do not comment on the financial position of individual franchises.

East Anglia Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the premium payments of £3.8 billion on the Greater Anglia rail franchise will be paid in full.

Joseph Johnson: Due to commercial confidentiality, we do not comment on the financial position of individual franchises. We work closely with all our franchisees throughout their contracts and monitor their progress against their contractual commitments. We expect all operators and their guarantors to continue to fulfil their financial and contractual commitments. The Department awarded this franchise after a robust competition process and the owning group has provided a substantial parent company support as a guarantee.

East Anglia Rail Franchise

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of whether the Greater Anglia rail franchise contract will be fulfilled.

Joseph Johnson: We work closely with all our franchisees throughout their contracts and monitor their progress against their contractual commitments. We expect all operators and their guarantors to continue to fulfil their financial and contractual commitments.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of Transport, for what reasons his Department's consultation entitled Road Vehicles Improving Air quality and Safety has run for a period of four weeks rather than the 12 weeks recommended in the Code of Practice on Consultation.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s Consultation Principles replaced the previous Code of Practice in July 2012. The latest version dated 14 January 2016 requires that “Consultations should last for a proportionate amount of time”. In this case, the proposals were the subject of informal discussion between the UK motor industry and the department’s technical experts prior to the consultation launch.

Railways: Compensation

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he will plans to ask Northern to extend the delay repay compensation scheme to commuters affected by delays of 15 minutes.

Joseph Johnson: Delay Repay for delays of 15 minutes or more (DR15) will be contracted as a requirement for new Department for Transport franchises when contracts come up for renewal. The Department has received a proposal from Northern in relation to implementing Delay Repay 15 before their present contract expires. This proposal is in the early stages of being reviewed and analysed to determine whether it is affordable and represents value for money. Any announcement regarding introducing DR15 into Northern will be made once this evaluation is completed. Passengers on Northern are starting to benefit from the huge investment in this franchise, with more new services and the complete removal of the outdated Pacers by the end of 2019.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Complaints

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment OFGEN has made of the level of customer satisfaction with the complaints process for energy companies; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007 places a duty on the independent regulator, Ofgem to make regulations that prescribe complaint handling standards that are binding on energy supply companies. The regulator monitors energy suppliers’ performance to ensure compliance with these regulations. Ofgem has commissioned independent research into customer satisfaction with complaints handling every two years since the Standards were introduced in 2008.Ofgem is expected to commission new independent research later this year.

Solar Power

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to consult on post-feed-in tariff policy support for solar power; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: The Feed-in Tariff scheme remains open and provides an incentive for businesses to invest in generating renewable electricity, including solar power. We are considering options for small-scale low carbon generation beyond 2019, and a consultation on the Feed-in Tariff scheme will be published in due course.

Temporary Employment

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with employers who use agency contracts on access to bereavement or compassionate leave.

Andrew Griffiths: The Department’s discussions with employers about bereavement or compassionate leave have not referred to agency contracts. Our manifesto made a commitment that bereaved parents should be able to take some time away from work to grieve for a lost child. To achieve that, the Government is supporting the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill. Consultations with business representatives took place last summer and further consultation will take place this year on the details. Acas has developed guidance for employers on managing bereavement in the workplace, in conjunction with Cruse Bereavement Care. It recognises the effect that bereavement might have on employees in undertaking their duties, sets out the law in this area and provides guidance on good practice, including having a bereavement policy in place.

Temporary Employment

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect on the level of workers' rights of people being employed on agency contracts.

Andrew Griffiths: The Taylor review into modern employment practices highlighted several areas where the protections of agency workers’ rights could be strengthened. In response, the Government is currently consulting on the regulation of umbrella companies, and intermediaries; state enforcement of the Agency Worker Regulations; whether “pay between assignments” contracts for agency workers (known as the Swedish derogations) should be repealed; and on the essential information that should be included in a ‘key facts’ summary of an agency worker’s contract.

Temporary Employment

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have been employed as agency workers for (a) less than one year, (b) between one and two years and (c) more than two years.

Andrew Griffiths: The Department holds no information on how long agency workers have been employed on contracts for specific periods of time.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of his Department's estate is (a) rented, (b) owned and (c) occupied through any other type of agreement.

Richard Harrington: The tables below show the space and buildings occupied by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy By Net Internal Area : CategoryNIA (m2)% of totalOwned property, space occupied by BEIS70,26925.0%Rented property, space occupied by BEIS99,50235.5%Other occupations by BEIS*110,81139.5% 280,582100% *Includes MOTOs, licences and subleases in other government department buildings. By properties: Tenure typeProperties% of totalFreehold1013.4%Leasehold3445.3%Other agreements3141.3% 75100%

Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what information on (a) labour rights and (b) access to advice and remedy is routinely provided to workers who (i) file a complaint with and (ii) are encountered during inspections conducted by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.

Andrew Griffiths: The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate enforces compliance of employment agencies and employment businesses through the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003.Where a complaint is received concerning other legislation, workers are signposted to Acas for further advice. In some cases, they are also referred to other state enforcement bodies.The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate does not meet with workers during inspections.

ACAS: Undocumented Workers

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether Acas is permitted to mediate for undocumented workers in the UK.

Andrew Griffiths: Acas has a statutory duty to seek to resolve individual workplace disputes. In seeking to resolve such disputes between employees and employers, Acas’ role is an impartial one. Acas does not collect data to identify if claimants are undocumented workers.

ACAS: Telephone Services

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what funding has been provided from the public purse to Acas for its helpline in each of the last five years; and how many workers were assisted by Acas in that same period.

Andrew Griffiths: The funding for the Acas Helpline over the last 5 financial years is:2016/17 £14,162,0002015/16 £13,748,0002014/15 £13,191,0002013/14 £13,697,0002012/13 £14,512,000The table below outlines the number of calls, pre-recorded advice sessions, webchats and Helpline Online advice sessions made over the past 5 years. Due to the confidential nature of the Acas Helpline advice is provided anonymously and no records are retained to identify customers who call more than once.Current data shows 82% of calls to the Acas Helpline were made by employees or workers.The number of contacts with Helpline Services during the same 5 years is as follows:Helpline Service2016-172015-162014-152013-142012-13Helpline advice is available over the telephone or online via acas.org.uk/helplineVoice calls answeredHelpline advice delivered over the telephone.886,929943,610903,679895,748928,995Pre-recorded advice sessionsHelpline callers can select pre-recorded advice regarding Minimum Wage, Holidays or Wage Deductions before being connected to an adviser.27,00025,48722,52725,55025,664Helpline Online sessionsHelpline Online is an interactive database of frequently asked questions written by Helpline advisers.508,318509,103531,712313,415810Webchat SessionsWebchat allows real time text-based conversation with Helpline advisers.2,6884,0992,672n/an/aTotal Contacts 1,424,935  1,482,299  1,460,590  1,234,713  955,469

Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the budget of the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate is for 2018-19; and how many staff it plans to employ during that financial year.

Andrew Griffiths: The allocated budget for 2018-19 has not yet been finalised, therefore staffing for 2018-19 will remain at 12.

Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many workers were assisted by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate in each of the last 12 months.

Andrew Griffiths: The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate has assisted 304,656 since 1 April 2017.

Employment Agencies: Termination of Employment

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of notice periods for people on agency contracts with regard to dismissal procedures.

Andrew Griffiths: The termination arrangements for agency workers are determined by the contract of engagement. In recognition of a need for greater transparency to better support agency workers, the Government set out in its response to the Taylor review of modern employment practice the intention to introduce a “key facts” page for agency workers, which will set out clearly all the information needed by an agency worker to make an informed decision prior to entering into a contract.

Newquay Cornwall Airport: Spaceflight

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the UK Space Agency on Cornwall Newquay Airport's bid to become a spaceport.

Mr Sam Gyimah: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received a recent update about Cornwall Newquay Airport’s plans to build a spaceport. We welcome the strong Cornish interest in the space sector, and the region’s recently announced Space Action Plan. Organisations like the South West Satellite Catapult Centre of Excellence and Goonhilly Earth Station will enable Cornwall to play a part in the new commercial space age. Our Industrial Strategy recognises the role of new markets like space launch in driving growth across the UK. The UK Space Agency is delivering a major programme to enable companies to offer small satellite launch and sub-orbital spaceflight from UK spaceports. The Space Agency has considered 26 separate proposals for grant funding, that remain confidential, and will make further announcements about this in the coming months. However, the UK Space Agency is not considering bids to become the UK’s national spaceport. Any site can still develop their plans for a UK spaceport entirely independent of government funds, and all sites will need to apply for a government licence to operate.

Carillion: Insolvency

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March to Question 129527 on Carillion: Insolvency, how much in funds has been raised from recovering trade debts owed to Carillion; and what proportion of these funds have been passed on to sub-contractors and workers.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government does not hold this information. In his role as liquidator of Carillion, the Official Receiver is an officer of the court and is independent of government.

Limited Liability: Scotland

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many firms are registered as Scottish Limited Partnerships in the UK.

Andrew Griffiths: The number of firms registered as Scottish Limited Partnerships in the UK is 29,709.

Energy: Meters

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of the 8.6 million smart meters installed by the end of 2017 were (a) advanced and (b) SMETS1 meters.

Claire Perry: As of 30th September 2017, there were over 8.6 million smart and advanced meters operating across homes and businesses in Great Britain, by both large and small energy suppliers. Of those, around 7.7 million were smart meters and around 0.89 million were advanced meters.The Government publishes quarterly reports on the number of smart electricity and gas meters installed in Great Britain as part of its Smart Meters statistics collection. As part of each statistical release, a breakdown by meter type is provided:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/smart-meters-statistics.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Armed Forces: Children

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in the (a) EU and (b) UN Security Council on stopping the practice of using child soldiers.

Mark Field: The UK is an active member of the United Nations Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, which consists of Security Council members, and which leads the international response on the issues of child soldiers and child protection. We work particularly closely with allies and like-minded states on the Council, notably France, the Netherlands and Sweden, to advance common efforts and UK objectives in this area.In November 2017, my colleague Lord Ahmad, the Minister for the Commonwealth and the United Nations, participated in an open debate of the UN Security Council on Children in Armed Conflict, focused on the findings of the UN Secretary-General's 2017 Annual Report. Lord Ahmad welcomed the work of the UN and of the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict, and reiterated our concern about the continuing grave violations committed against children in conflicts around the world.

Armed Conflict: Children

Stephen Gethins: To ask Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding his Department has allocated to organisations which tackle the use of child soldiers in conflict in each of the last five years.

Mark Field: The FCO has provided funding to both UN organisations and civil society groups, to tackle the use of child soldiers in armed conflict. This totals £1,864,000 since 2015.This figure comprises funding to the UN Department of Peacekeeping to provide key child protection staff, totalling just over £1 million from 2016-19.Between 2015 and 2019, we will have also given £620,000 to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, making the UK the number one donor to this Office. We have lobbied others to increase their contributions.We have also provided £75,000 in both financial years 2015/16 and 2016/17, as well as £85,000 in financial year 2017/18, to the NGO Children and Armed Conflict Watch List.

Armed Conflict: Children

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help partner countries to build institutional capacity to decrease the use of child soldiers in conflict.

Mark Field: We provide funding to support the work of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict's to implement UN Action Plans with relevant UN Member States. This includes technical missions to monitor violations committed against children.We also appreciate the expertise which civil society organisations can bring to tackling this issue, and we are currently providing funding to strengthen the monitoring, reporting and response by civil society actors in Nigeria, South Sudan, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burma.

China: Religious Freedom

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has to the Chinese authorities on the detention of  (a) Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, (b) Falun Gong practitioners, (c) Christian leaders, (d) other members of religious minorities and (e) people who defend the right to freedom of religion or belief in that country.

Mark Field: ​We remain concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in China. We issued an item IV statement at the 37th UN Human Rights Council on 14 March which reiterated our concerns about the situation in China. We also supported the EU item IV statement at the same session, which called on China to respect freedom of religion.We raised our concerns about these issues directly with the Chinese authorities at the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue which took place in Beijing on 27 June 2017.

Sri Lanka: Missing Persons

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Sri Lanka on the establishment in that  country of an office on missing persons.

Mark Field: ​The UK supports the full implementation of UN Human Rights Council Resolution 34/1, under which Sri Lanka committed to implement a range of measures to promote human rights, accountability, reconciliation, and devolution of political powers following the end of its civil war. We have consistently encouraged the Government of Sri Lanka to establish a credible Office of Missing Persons and have raised this issue regularly at all levels, including in our public diplomacy.I encouraged Foreign Minister Marapana to continue to make progress on the operationalisation of an Office of Missing Persons when I met him in Colombo in October 2017. I also wrote to Foreign Minister Marapana on 7 March setting out UK views ahead of the 37th session of the UN Human Rights Council and emphasised the importance of establishing transitional justice mechanisms.We welcome the appointment of OMP commissioners and will continue to encourage the Government to ensure that their important work begins very soon.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March to Question 129926, what response the Minister of State for Europe and the Americas received from the Russian Ambassador to the UK on 27 February 2018 regarding the UK’s concerns about the ongoing targeting of civilians in eastern Ghouta; and whether the Government has made any further representations since that date.

Sir Alan Duncan: On 27 February, I met with the Russian Ambassador to the UK, Alexander Yakovenko, stressing UK concern at the current situation in Syria, particularly the crisis in Eastern Ghouta. I urged Russia to use its influence to ensure the Syrian regime adhered to the ceasefire demanded by UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2401 to allow rapid, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access and non-conditional medical evacuations which are urgently needed. The Ambassador said that Russia would implement Resolution 2401. The Foreign Secretary also wrote to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on 27 February regarding the crisis in Eastern Ghouta and urging Russia to uphold its commitments to ensure that UNSCR 2401 is implemented in full.The UK has repeatedly urged Russia bilaterally and in other multilateral fora to use its influence to ensure that the Assad regime allows rapid, unimpeded and sustained UN-led humanitarian access to deliver urgently needed food and medical supplies to Eastern Ghouta, and adheres to the ceasefire demanded by UN Security Council Resolution 2401. The UK called for an urgent debate in the UN Human Rights Council on 2 March and proposed a resolution which the UN Human Rights Council adopted on 5 March calling for the full and immediate implementation of UNSCR 2401. In the UN Security Council, the UK most recently raised its concerns with Russia at the UN Secretary General's briefing to the Security Council on Resolution 2401 on 12 March.

Zimbabwe: Emigration

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage the Zimbabwean diaspora in the UK to return to Zimbabwe.

Harriett Baldwin: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

China: Politics and Government

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to seek regular reports from the British Embassy in Beijing on the wellbeing of the two delegates of the Chinese Parliament who voted against the plan to abolish presidential term limits.

Mark Field: According to the rules of procedure of the National People's Congress, constitutional amendments are voted on via anonymous ballot.Amendments to China's constitution are ultimately a matter for the Chinese authorities, but we encourage all of our partners to abide by international norms and standards.

Falkland Islands: Fossil Fuels

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, what the process is for approving licences for hydrocarbon activity in the Falklands; which bodies are consulted with for that process; and what (a) funding and (b) staff are allocated to undertake those assessments.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​Oil exploration in the Falkland Islands is governed by the Falkland Islands Offshore Minerals Ordinance of 1994. Subject to this Ordinance, and with the consent of the Foreign Secretary, the British Government appointed Governor of the Falkland Islands may, on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, grant to any person a licence for the purposes of exploration or production in the controlled waters, or in the sea-bed or subsoil thereof, of the Falkland Islands. Any oil company can apply for a license by contacting the Falkland Islands Government's Department of Mineral Resources. The Director of Mineral Resources, in consultation with other Falkland Islands Government departments, will make the recommendation to the Governor of the Falkland Islands.

Gaza: International Assistance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government was represented at the US-led meeting at the White House on 13 March 2018 on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development and our Embassy in Washington attended this meeting. The UK remains gravely concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. We welcome all practical steps to improve conditions as a matter of urgency.

Russia: Chemical Weapons Convention

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, to which chemical weapons treaties the UK is a signatory; and to which such treaties it is a joint signatory with Russia.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The UK and the Russian Federation are both States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction) and the 1925 Geneva Protocol (Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare).

Armed Conflict: Schools

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2017 to Question 117050, on armed conflict: schools, what assessment the Government has made of the implications of signing the Safe Schools Declaration; and whether it plans to sign that declaration.

Harriett Baldwin: The internal Foreign and Commonwealth Office review into our position towards the Safe Schools Declaration recently concluded. The Government is now considering its implications on a cross-departmental basis and is assessing the next steps.

Indonesia: Politics and Government

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Indonesia on the potential criminalisation of LGBT acts and extramarital relations by that country's Parliament.

Boris Johnson: We are concerned about a number of proposed amendments to the Indonesian penal code, including on potential criminalisation of homosexual and extramarital relations.The Minister for the Commonwealth and the UN, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, raised our concerns around the revision of the penal code with the Indonesian Ambassador on 22 January. The UK Ambassador to Indonesia also raised our concerns with Minister Laoly, Minister for Law and Human Rights, on 31 January; with individual parliamentarians involved in the drafting on 13 February; and with President Joko Widodo’s Chief of Staff on 12 March.​

Philippines: International Criminal Court

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in the Philippines on the potential withdrawal of that country from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Boris Johnson: We are concerned by the decision of the Government of the Philippines to withdraw the Philippines from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Our Embassy in Manila is raising concerns with the Administration. The ICC has an important role to play in ending impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern by holding perpetrators to account and achieving justice for victims. ​

Klara Kabilova

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Government of Kyrgyzstan on the case of Klara Kabilova, the chairwoman of Kyrgyzstan's Central Election Commission.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​We are aware of reports concerning the citizenship and eligibility of Klara Kabilova to sit as an MP in Kyrgyzstan. We have not made representations about this specific case but our Embassy in Bishkek has regular meetings with the Kyrgyz government at all levels and routinely discusses issues of mutual interest, including progress on democratisation, fundamental values and human rights.

Department for Exiting the European Union

British Nationality

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with the European Commission on retaining EU citizenship for UK citizens after the UK leaves the EU.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with the European Commission on associate European citizenship.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the European Union on retaining EU citizenship for UK citizens in the event that UK leaves the EU.

Suella Fernandes: The Secretary of State meets regularly with ministerial counterparts from other EU Member States and individuals in the EU institutions, including the European Commission. We have always said that we would be content to listen to any proposals from the European Commission, however associate citizenship is not currently in the scope of exit negotiations. EU treaty provisions make clear that only citizens of EU Member States are able to hold EU citizenship. Therefore, when the UK ceases to be a member of the European Union, British nationals will no longer hold EU citizenship, unless they hold dual nationality with another EU Member State.

Charter of Fundamental Rights (EU)

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he is taking to ensure that the protection of UK citizen's personal data under EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is maintained after the UK has left the EU.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to maintain the rights of victims of crime under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights after the UK leaves the EU.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to maintain provisions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in relation to the prevention and combating of trafficking in human beings after the UK has left the EU.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to maintain protections in relation to equal pay set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights after the UK has left the EU.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to ensure the maintenance of protections from discrimination in employment on grounds of religion or belief in the Charter of Fundamental Rights after the UK has left the EU.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to ensure that the protections from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation will be maintained to the standard set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to ensure that the protections from discrimination on the grounds of age will be maintained to the standard set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Mr Steve Baker: The UK has a longstanding tradition of ensuring our rights and liberties are protected domestically and of fulfilling our international human rights obligations. The decision to leave the European Union does not change this. The Government’s intention has always been that in itself not incorporating the Charter into UK law should not affect the substantive rights that individuals already benefit from in the UK, as the Charter was never the source of those rights. The EU (Withdrawal) Bill sets out how the sources of these substantive rights, so far as they exist elsewhere in EU law, are being converted into UK law at the point we exit the EU. In order to provide guidance on the protection afforded to every right in the Charter the Government has published a non-exhaustive analysis which sets out how substantive rights found in the Charter - including those mentioned in this grouped question - will be reflected in the domestic law of the UK after exit. The analysis is available on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/664891/05122017_Charter_Analysis_FINAL_VERSION.pdf.



Charter Analysis
(PDF Document, 717.75 KB)

British Nationality

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the Government’s policy is on associate EU citizenship for UK nationals in the event that the UK leaves the EU.

Suella Fernandes: We have always said that we would be content to listen to any proposals from the European Commission however EU treaty provisions make clear that only citizens of EU Member States are able to hold EU citizenship. Therefore, when the UK ceases to be a member of the European Union, British nationals will no longer hold EU citizenship, unless they hold dual nationality with another EU Member State. However, we know that in the future, many UK nationals will wish to continue to travel, live and work within the European Union, just as EU citizens will still wish to do so in the UK. We look forward to discussing our future relationship with the European Union, one which will work in the interest of both the UK and the EU.

Regulation

Phil Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made of the number of new regulatory bodies which will be required once the UK leaves the EU; and what the role of each such body will be.

Mr Steve Baker: We are seeking a deep and special partnership with the European Union. Our relationship with the European Union's agencies and bodies upon exit will be evaluated on this basis. Prior to any decisions on establishing new UK-level bodies, the Government will, however, always look to minimise disruption and costs, which will include considering alternative options. In most cases we anticipate that repatriated EU functions can be absorbed by departments and existing public bodies. We will continue to plan for a range of scenarios and be ready to take any necessary steps to ensure that we are ready for exit day.

Devolution

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will list the independent studies commissioned by his Department on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the devolved administrations.

Suella Fernandes: The Government is undertaking a wide range of analysis and preparatory work that will contribute to our exit negotiations with the EU, define our future partnership with the EU, and inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks. It is not however standard practice to provide a running commentary on ongoing analysis. We are committed to positive and productive engagement with the devolved administrations as we seek a deal that works for the entire United Kingdom.

Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with mobile telephone operators on mobile data roaming charges after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Steve Baker: Ministers across Government have carried out extensive engagement on EU exit with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK. This includes civil society groups such as consumer bodies, trade unions, charities and academia. Following the UK’s exit from the EU, arrangements on mobile roaming will be subject to negotiations as part of our future economic partnership. In these negotiations, the Government is committed to securing the best deal on roaming for British consumers.

Railways: Procurement

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what account the Government will take of the rail supply industry in future trade negotiations with EU and non-EU countries after the UK leaves the EU.

Suella Fernandes: We are seeking a bold and ambitious economic partnership that is of greater scope and ambition than any such existing agreement. The Government will take into account all areas of the UK economy as part of any future trade negotiations, including our valuable rail supply industry. The rail supply industry already exports goods and services around the world and we will build on this success in future negotiations. We’re listening to the points raised by industry, including the rail supply industry and will continue to do so as we start to negotiate our withdrawal from the EU.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Buildings

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what proportion of his Department's estate is (a) rented, (b) owned and (c) occupied through any other type of agreement.

Mr Steve Baker: All of the estate occupied by the Department for Exiting the European Union is in buildings owned by other government departments. None of this space is owned by the Department and arrangements are in place for the Department to pay the landlord departments for the costs of occupancy.

Video Games

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the UK video games industry.

Mr Steve Baker: The Government is undertaking a wide range of analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. We continue to engage with businesses and industry bodies from all regions and nations of the UK and sectors across the economy, including the creative industries, which includes the video games industry, in order to inform our negotiations.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Cleaning Services

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what information he holds on the rate of remuneration for cleaners in his Department.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting the European Union occupies space in buildings managed by other government departments. As such, it does not directly employ cleaners, and instead contributes to the general cleanliness and upkeep of each building through the service charges it pays to the landlord departments.

Department of Health and Social Care

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases there were of pulmonary arterial hypertension in England in each of the last 3 years.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to decrease the average length of time that it takes to diagnose pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many clinical commissioning groups offer pulmonary rehabilitation services for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Steve Brine: It is recognised it may be difficult to diagnose pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) because symptoms may be non-specific in the early stages. NHS England has published service specifications for PAH centres and shared care centres which provide services closer to patients’ homes. These specifications clearly define the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care to PAH patients. Last year all PAH centres met the National Standard on timely diagnosis by having over 95% of patients receive a recorded diagnosed within six months of referral. The information requested on the number of clinical commissioning groups that provide PAH services is not centrally held. The information requested on the number of cases for PAH is not centrally held, as the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database contains records of hospital episodes and attendances rather than people. A count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary diagnosis or a primary or secondary diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension, 2014-15 to 2016-17 is as follows: Activity in English National Health Service Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector YearPrimary diagnosisPrimary or secondary diagnosis2014-157,14942,1602015-167,44746,2932016-177,41849,558Source: HES, NHS Digital  Counts of FAEs1 with a primary diagnosis2 or a primary or secondary diagnosis3 of pulmonary arterial hypertension4, 2014-15 to 2016-175 Notes: 1FAEsA FAE is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. 2Primary diagnosisThe primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. 3Primary or secondary diagnosisThe number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a HES record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. 4ICD-10 Codes usedThe following ICD-10 diagnosis codes were used to define pulmonary arterial hypertension: I27.0 Primary pulmonary hypertensionI27.2 Other secondary pulmonary hypertension 5Assessing growth through time (Admitted patient care)HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information. It should be noted that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity ending between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to reduce the number of clinical commissioning groups that have decommissioned IVF services.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to introduce commissioning guidance on IVF services for clinical commissioning groups.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The level of provision of infertility treatment is decided by local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and will take into account the needs of the population overall. NHS England has advised that it recognises that there is a great deal of interest in the quality and availability of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) services, and is developing a benchmark price that the National Health Service pays for fertility treatments, which will become available for use in 2018/19. NHS England is also working with CCGs and various stakeholders including the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, to understand how best to help them commission IVF services. NHS England has advised that, because CCGs are responsible for the commissioning of IVF, it is essential that any support that is given is developed in partnership with them. That is why NHS England are now working with NHS clinical commissioners, the national member organisation for CCGs, to identify the best way of supporting CCGs. NHS England have advised that any guidance will be led by NHS clinical commissioners and will contribute to their work as appropriate.

Patients: Proof of Identity

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to (a) publish the evaluation report on the national pilot on hospital trusts requesting two forms of identification from all patients and (b) provide guidance to NHS trusts on whether the practice will continue; whether that evaluation included consideration of whether the practice of requesting two forms of identity may (i) delay, (ii) deter or (iii) prevent patients who do not have proof of identity documents from accessing NHS care; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The evaluation report on the national pilot on hospital trusts requesting two forms of identification from all patients commissioned by Ipsos Mori will be published in due course alongside the Department's proposed next steps and recommended approach.

Psychiatry: Children and Young People

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS child and adolescent psychiatrists have been employed in (a) Kent, (b) Surrey and (c) Sussex for the last two years for which data is available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The data is not available in the format requested.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of administering intra-joint injections by ultrasound instead of by x-ray to reduce costs.

Steve Brine: No specific assessment has been made. Decisions to adopt new clinical interventions or approaches would be a matter for local NHS services, taking into account the available evidence on safety, efficacy and cost effectiveness, as well as any relevant guidance.

Eating Disorders

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the level of service support that children with eating disorders (a) is not reduced and (b) does not end when those children become adults.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is committed to providing good quality eating disorder services for both children and adults. For children and young people aged between eight and 18 years, the Government is investing £150 million (£30 million per year) to develop 70 new or expanded community eating disorder services and staff. This means at least 3,350 children and young people a year will receive swift, effective eating disorder treatment in the community — for many this will mean they will be treated earlier and no longer need to go into hospital. To understand better whether children and young people are receiving the care they need through to adulthood and to incentivise local services to improve care for young people reaching adulthood, NHS England has set up and is monitoring a Commissioning for Quality and Innovation scheme (CQUIN) for individuals transferring from children and young people’s mental health care to adult mental care which will span from 2017 to 2019. CQUIN incentivises commissioners to deliver clinical quality improvements and drive transformational change. To further improve adult eating disorder care a pathway, together with detailed implementation guidance for providers, is under development by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health in partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. The pathway is being fully informed by the available evidence and the views of experts and will increase healthcare professionals’ awareness of the early signs and symptoms of eating disorders so that they are able to refer without delay.

Food: Inspections

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether additional resources have been allocated to (a) the Food Standards Agency and (b) local authorities to allow the inspection of commercial third party assurance providers.

Steve Brine: No additional resource has been provided to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) or local authorities for this purpose. The FSA does intend to make use of data from commercial third party assurance providers in the new delivery model that is being developed under the FSA’s Regulating Our Future Programme. This would not require inspection of assurance providers. The FSA will set the standard for data from such assurance providers to be considered eligible to be taken into consideration to inform the official controls regime required by the FSA and local authorities. It is only when it has been demonstrated that the standard has been met that the data will be taken into consideration.

Paralysis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with facial paralysis in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: This information is not collected.

Oesophageal Cancer: Screening

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the test for esophageal cancer to be made available on the NHS.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network is supporting recruitment to a trial of Cytosponge, which is funded by Cancer Research UK. For the Cytosponge test patients swallow a small capsule with a sponge inside. The sponge is attached to string which the patient or nurse uses to pull the sponge out. This takes a sample of the cells of the lining of the food pipe which then can be tested. The trial is looking at how acceptable and how safe it is to use the Cytosponge test in general practice surgeries for people with heartburn symptoms. Recruitment to the trial is due to complete in summer this year. NHS England is committed to transforming cancer services across the country. If evidence suggests Cytosponge is effective, any decision to make the test available on the National Health Service would be the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS England expects CCGs to take account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and local population needs when making commissioning decisions.

Mental Illness

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Haematological Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care what proportion of patients referred to a multidisciplinary diagnostic centre have been (a) suspected of having blood cancer and (b) diagnosed with blood cancer; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: An evaluation is currently being prepared on the work of the multi-disciplinary diagnostic centres, which will include further information on blood cancer patient referral and diagnosis numbers. A final report will be published in December 2018.

Medical Treatments

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to reduce the time between EU marketing authorisation and NICE appraisal of treatments for serious and progressive conditions and improve the timeliness of making such treatments available to patients.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) routinely aims to publish draft technology appraisal guidance on new non-cancer drugs within six months of licensing, and to publish draft guidance on new cancer drugs before licensing. National Health Service commissioners are legally required to make funding available for treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance within three months of the publication of guidance. In April 2017, NICE introduced a new fast track appraisal process that is designed to bring forward patient access to drugs where the company can demonstrate clear cost-effectiveness by around five months compared with the standard timescales. The Government has also published the response to the Accelerated Access Review which includes the introduction of a new Accelerated Access Pathway and £86 million of funding to support medical innovations get to patients faster. This will streamline regulatory and market access decisions, getting breakthrough products that we believe will be truly transformative to patients more quickly, and will be operational from April 2018. All products including medical technologies, devices and diagnostics will be eligible for selection.

Drugs

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what timeline is for NHS England to complete commercial negotiations with pharmaceutical companies after a treatment has met the NICE budget impact test; and what steps he is taking to ensure that those treatments are available to patients in a timely manner.

Steve Brine: The timescales for the commercial negotiations for products that trigger the budget impact test are set out in the ‘Procedure for varying the funding requirement to take account of net budget impact’ which is published at: https://www.nice.org.uk/Media/Default/About/what-we-do/NICE-guidance/NICE-technology-appraisals/TA-HST-procedure-varying-the-funding-direction.pdf The process has been designed to ensure that, wherever possible, the commercial negotiation takes place in parallel with the technology appraisal and does not affect patient access.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust: Vacancies

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many vacancies were there for (a) nurses, (b) junior doctors, (c) doctors and (d) consultants, in the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, in each year since 2010.

Stephen Barclay: The data is not available in the format requested.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust: Private Finance Initiative

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the PFI payments made by Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust relating to (a) capital costs and (b) service payments for each year since 2015.

Stephen Barclay: The capital cost and Unitary Charge payments for the new Queen’s Hospital (formerly Oldchurch hospital in Romford), for each year since financial year since 2015/16, are provided in the table below. The data is from the 2016 Private Finance Initiative (PFI) data summary sheet on the HM Treasury’s website. The Unitary Charge revenue payment figures include not just the financing costs (debt repayment and interest) for initial construction but also the costs of all the other services such as building maintenance and support services (cleaning, catering, portering etc) provided over the lifetime of the contract. The payments are subject to meeting agreed performance and quality standards and include an annual uprate assumption for inflation. Capital Value (£ m)Unitary Charge Payment 2015-16 (£ m)Estimated Unitary Charge Payment 2016-17 (£ m)Estimated Unitary Charge Payment 2017-18 (£ m)266.057.258.559.6 Further information relating to all PFI projects in the National Health Service and social care in England, including that for the new Queen’s Hospital, is available on the HM Treasury’s website, via:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2016-summary-dataThe health sector schemes are marked “Department of Health” and then “DH-Acute (i.e. Hospitals)”. The new Oldchurch Hospital has ID number 284.

NHS Trusts: Hygiene

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons the deadline of the end of 2017 for Public Health England to publish data on hand gel usage in NHS trusts has not been met.

Caroline Dinenage: We recognise the importance of this ambition. Public Health England (PHE) has carried out some initial analysis with available data, however, currently the data is incomplete and would not give a true reflection of usage of hand gel.The Department is continuing to work with PHE and NHS Improvement to determine methods to obtain hand gel data and produce a hand hygiene indicator underlying the critical link between hygiene and infection prevention.Preventing infections is a priority for the Secretary of State and the Department published a revised code of practice setting good practice on hand hygiene compliance and strengthened the Infection Prevention and Control and antimicrobial stewardship framework for healthcare providers. The Department is also working with our partners across the health and social care system, including the Care Quality Commission, to ensure that consideration of best practice in hand hygiene policies remains a focus of inspections in acute trusts.

NHS Property Services: Privatisation

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had on (a) complete and (b) partial privatisation of the National Health Service's Property Services.

Stephen Barclay: The Government’s response to the Naylor Review on the National Health Service Estate confirmed that it has chosen not to change the existing NHS property companies at the current time. NHS Property Services Ltd and Community Health Partnerships Ltd will continue to be limited companies 100% owned by the Secretary of State for Health, to whom they are accountable. The companies will continue to provide the asset ownership and management, facilities management and financing functions that they offer currently.

NHS Property Services: West Sussex

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the NHS Property Services' (a) agreements and (b) completion dates for the delivery of building works at (i) Sidney West in West Sussex, (ii) Horsham Hospital and (iii) Crawley Hospital.

Stephen Barclay: The Department does not routinely hold information on individual NHS Property Services’ agreements/projects, however the company reports on the progress on the delivery of building works at Sidney West in West Sussex, Horsham Hospital and Crawley Hospital as follows:Sidney West Primary Care Centre, Burgess HillAn £800,000 programme of fitout works, including diagnostics, x-ray and consulting rooms, has been agreed in principle with the Clinical Commissioning Group and prospective service provider. NHS Property Services has been negotiating with the landlords around consent for the scheme and hardstanding for an external (portable) Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner for the past year. Negotiations are ongoing, and NHS Property Services has recently developed an alternative option for the scanner location. Assuming lease negotiations can be concluded in the next couple of months, we anticipate that works could start on-site in the summer of 2018.Horsham Hospital- The musculoskeletal project, including works to the hydrotherapy and gym, completed in December 2016; and- A £1.2 million, two-phase programme of works to roofs, heating and windows was completed in late 2017. A further package of external fabric and infrastructure works, expected to cost circa £800,000, is expected to commence in 2018.Crawley Hospital- The £3.97 million Piper (Sub-acute) ward refurbishment at Crawley commenced in August 2016 and was completed in December 2016;- The £4.53 million Urgent Care Centre refurbishment at Crawley commenced in early 2016 and, following some customer-requested design revisions and phasing changes, was completed in June 2017;- Phase One of a £6 million Infrastructure project at Crawley, including fire protection enhancements, generator and chilled water upgrades, began in January 2016 and ended in March 2017. Phase Two of this project is currently in the early stages of design and is programmed to commence in Q2 2018; and- A feasibility study and outline design for the relocation of the Child Development Centre was completed at the end of 2017. Our capital budget plans for financial year 2018/19 include £3.1 million allocation for this project.Over the past 24 months over £12 million has been invested into Crawley by NHS Property Services, with a further investment of £6 million planned over the next 18 months.

Psychiatry: Children and Young People

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS child and adolescent psychiatrists have been employed in the North West in the last two years for which data is available.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS child and adolescent psychiatrists have been employed in the North West in each of the last two years for which information is available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS Digital publishes information on workforce statistics and the following table shows the full time equivalent (fte) figures for child and adolescent psychiatrists in the last two years. NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists in the North West as at 30 September each specified year and latest month available (fte)Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists (fte)September 2015September 2016September 2017November 2017Health Education North West113110118119Source: NHS Digital Monthly HCHS workforce statistics

Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust Independent Review

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure compliance with the (a) Government's fit and proper person test and (b) NHS duty of candour had been applied in relation to the evidence gathered during the review into Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust conducted by Dr Bill Kirkup.

Caroline Dinenage: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is able to check that providers are meeting the Fit and Proper Persons Requirement (FPPR), either after a notification has been received when a new board director, board member or individual who performs the functions equivalent to the functions of a board director and member director is being appointed or during an inspection of a provider, and could impose a condition on the provider to require the removal of an unfit director. The CQC has provided the following response: Assessing compliance with FPPR is an integral part of the CQC’s assessment of inspections of well-led and this is business as usual. In addition to routine assessment of providers the CQC respond to any FPPR referrals through the processes in place since the regulation came into force. The CQC will continue to operate within the current regulations and will engage fully with the review and respond to any changes in the regulation moving forward. The Kirkup Review, states that “a ‘just’ culture is one where openness and transparency is an essential ingredient to identify the root cause if care falls below standards, or when care doesn’t go according to plan”. The CQC’s assessments of Duty of Candour (DoC) are an integral part of assessments of well-led and the CQC continues to consider DoC as a matter of course. The CQC looks at DoC as part of well–led assessments and have raised the profile of DoC in their State of Hospitals and ‘Learning, candour and accountability - A review of the way NHS trusts review and investigate the deaths of patients in England’ reports. In addition, the CQC plans this year to update guidance and refresh training for inspectors in this area.

NHS: Reviews

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the (a) Government's fit and proper person test and (b)  NHS duty of candour is suspended in the eventof evidence of (i) harm and (ii) wrongdoing in relation to independent reviews funded by the Department of Health.

Caroline Dinenage: Following the most recent review, of Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust conducted by Dr Bill Kirkup, the Government has accepted recommendations to further review the Fit and Proper Persons Requirement (FPPR). The current regulations and guidance relating to FPPR and the duty of candour will continue to operate in the event of evidence of harm or wrong doing.

Halton Clinical Commissioning Group

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2018 to Question 130487, on Clinical Commissioning Groups: Halton, for what reasons two successive Chief Officers have been appointed on an interim basis; and when the timetable for the appointment of a permanent Chief Officer will be decided.

Steve Brine: Andrew Davies was appointed as Chief Clinical Officer with an effective start date of 1st February 2018. This appointment has been made as a result of the interim Chief Officer’s move to an Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) role. Following the departure of Halton Clinical Commissioning Group’s Accountable Officer (AO) in May 2017, interim arrangements were quickly put in place to ensure continuity. This was an internal appointment. The interim AO has subsequently been successful in their application for a short-term, 12-month secondment with the Cheshire and Merseyside STP. As a result, further interim arrangements were needed to cover this period. NHS England is content with the current arrangements and will keep them under review on a quarterly basis.

Halton Clinical Commissioning Group

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of his time the interim Chief Officer for Halton Clinical Commissioning Group spends in (a) Halton and (b) Warrington.

Steve Brine: NHS England has advised that the role is a joint appointment and Dr Andrew Davies spends 50% of his time at each clinical commissioning group (CCG). Dr Davies works additional hours to ensure that he fulfils all his responsibilities and attends both CCGs’ governing bodies, committees and other meetings as required.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to increase the level of real term funding for mental health services in England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We are taking steps to increase the level of real term funding for mental health services in England. We have increased spending on mental health to a record £11.6 billion in 2016/17 and this is planned to rise to £11.86 billion for in 2017/18.The Mental Health Investment Standard requires all clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to increase funding for mental health by at least as much as the overall increase to their funding allocations. 85% of CCGs achieved the Investment Standard in 2016/17 and from 2018/19 all CCGs will be required to meet it.

Mental Health Services: Waiting Lists

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department are taking to reduce patient waiting lists for mental health services in England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government published Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020 in autumn 2014. The publication was backed by -- £80 million of funding in 2015-16 to deliver:­ Treatment within six weeks for 75% of people referred to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, with 95% of people being treated within 18 weeks (introduced in April 2015); and­ Treatment within two weeks for more than 50% of people experiencing a first episode of psychosis (introduced in April 2016). The National Health Service is currently exceeding its mental health access standards. For IAPT, as at November 2017, of those people completing treatment, 89.1% of people waited less than six weeks (exceeding the 75% target) and of those people completing treatment, 98.8% of people waited less than 18 weeks (exceeding the 95% target). For Early Intervention in Psychosis, as at January 2017, the NHS is exceeding the target with 69.3% of patients starting treatment within two weeks. For Eating Disorders – The Department is investing £30 million a year to 2020 to support clinical commissioning groups in developing and enhancing eating disorder services for children and young people so that by 2020/21, 95% of young people in need of an eating disorders service will be seen within four weeks, and one week in urgent cases. The NHS is on track to meet this standard. As at Q3 (October-December 2017) 76.9% of patients started urgent treatment within one week and 83.1% of patients started routine treatment within four weeks.

Clinical Commissioning Groups: Merseyside and Cheshire

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Clinical Commissioning Groups in (a) Cheshire and (b) Merseyside do not have a permanent Chief Officer.

Steve Brine: NHS England advises that there are two others. However, interviews have been held recently and, subject to all necessary approvals, there is expected to be permanent appointment to one of the posts in the near future.

South Tees Health NHS Trust: Mental Health Services

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have received mental health treatment from South Tees NHS Trust since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Air Pollution: Death

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate the Government has made of the number of deaths per year caused by air pollution in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: The Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) for England includes an indicator for air pollution expressed as the fraction of adult mortality attributable to long-term exposure to human-made particulate air pollution. The most recent published estimates available are for 2015. For England, estimates within the last five years are: 2013: 5.3%; 2014: 5.1%; 2015: 4.7%. Figures for 2016 are due to be published with the next release of updated PHOF data in May 2018.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Laura Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made as assessment of the compatibility of Government provision of back-pay to care providers for sleep-in shifts with EU state aid rules.

Caroline Dinenage: Government officials have made the European Commission aware of the issue, and held an initial meeting with them. This will provide the Government with guidance on how any support, which might be available, could be granted legally within state aid rules.

NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations 2017

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the effect of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations 2017; and if he will publish an assessment of the effect of those regulations to date.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases he is aware of where patients have been provided with access to cancer treatment as a result of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations 2017; and how many of those cases related to people who were (a) confirmed foreign nationals and (b) undocumented.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what powers he has to intervene in cases where long-term British residents are denied cancer care as a result of the introduction of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations 2017.

Stephen Barclay: Following the commencement of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) (Amendment) Regulations 2017, in line with the continuing public sector equalities duty, and also recognising concerns that have been raised by stakeholders regarding the introduction of the amendment regulations, the Department committed in November 2017 to review the impact of the changes introduced by the amendment regulations. The Department is currently working with arm’s length bodies and stakeholders to review the impact of the amendment regulations in respect of upfront charging, patient records, community services and non-NHS providers, with a particular focus on the extent to which there are any unintended consequences on delivery of care for the most vulnerable, and how any such unintended consequences could be addressed. The Department will provide an update once the review is complete and will set out any further action that is considered necessary following the review. The Department does not hold information on patients who have been provided with cancer treatment. A British citizen who is ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom is entitled to receive free NHS healthcare services as long as they can prove they are in the UK lawfully, adopted voluntary and for settled purposes as part of the regular order of his or her life for the time being, whether of short or long duration. This may also require the granting of Indefinite Leave to Remain status, if an individual arrives in the UK from outside of the European Economic Area. All patients must be assessed against the test for ordinary residence in the UK which will determine whether a patient is ordinarily resident in the UK. If the patient is ordinarily resident in the UK they must not be individually charged. It is the duty of the NHS providing treatment to establish if charges apply to people who are not ordinarily resident (‘overseas visitors’) for the services they provide and to make and recover any charges.

Kettering Hospital: Standards

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what Kettering General Hospital needs to do to get out of special measures.

Caroline Dinenage: Whilst trusts are in Special Measures for Quality, they will receive increased support and intensive oversight to help address specific failings. In respect of Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, an NHS Improvement support package and Improvement Director have been put in place to help support the Trust’s improvement journey. Trusts in Special Measures for Quality, such as Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, will exit if they have provided the Care Quality Commission with evidence of improvement in the quality of care delivered, if they are well-led, and if a solution can be found to sustain sufficient good quality care, in consultation with NHS Improvement.

Mental Health: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the use of (a) the arts and (b) culture was included in the consultation on the Green Paper on Transforming children and young people's mental health.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The use of arts and culture was not specifically included in the consultation for the recent Green Paper on children and young people’s mental health. The full list of consultation questions were published alongside the Green Paper itself and are available on the Department website.

Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to implement Public Health England's Health in all policies, published in October 2016.

Steve Brine: Health in All Policies (HiAP) is a collaborative approach to improving the health of all people by incorporating health considerations into decision making across sectors, policy and service areas, and addressing the wider determinants of health. Public Health England worked with the Association of Directors of Public Health and the Local Government Association to develop masterclasses to understand how to support Directors of Public Health and local government to adopt health and health equity in all policies at a local level. The HiAP approach has been adopted in various forms by Swindon, Medway, Bristol and Blackburn Councils.

Department for International Development

Papua New Guinea: Earthquakes

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what aid the UK has given to the authorities in Papua New Guinea as a result of the recent earthquake.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government has been monitoring the situation in Papua New Guinea since the earthquake on 25 February, in close contact with our counterparts in Australia and New Zealand, who are leading on the well-resourced regional response. DFID has offered support with a child protection psychosocial expert for UNICEF for three months to help children, young people and their families affected by the earthquake.

Sierra Leone: Floods

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support the UK Government has provided to help people affected by the 2017 floods and mudslides in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK allocated up to £5m to provide clean water, sanitation services and hygiene kits to prevent a cholera outbreak; essential health and psychosocial services; and food and clothing to those affected, especially children. We also helped families to re-establish their lives by finding new accommodation and ensuring their children could return to school.

Gaza: Borders

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) social, (b) economic and (c) humanitarian effects of the ongoing Israeli naval blockade on Gaza.

Alistair Burt: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) assesses that the restrictions on access to fishing waters in Gaza is a key factor discouraging investment and perpetuating high levels of unemployment, food insecurity and aid dependency. The fishing industry is important for the social and economic wellbeing of Gaza and we want to see an increase in the fishing zone, in line with the limit of 20 nautical miles stipulated in the Oslo accords. The UK has consistently called on the Government of Israel to ease movement, including at sea, and will continue to do so.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what classification of fragility her Department uses for the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Alistair Burt: The Department for International Development (DFID) assesses fragile states against three categories, reflecting higher, medium and lower levels of fragility. The last assessment found that the Occupied Palestinian Territories overall results met the criteria of the lower fragility category.

Central African Republic: Job Creation

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help increase job opportunities for adults in the Central African Republic.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is one of the largest donors to the crisis in the Central African Republic and is contributing £40 million in humanitarian aid from 2016-2019. Over 75% of the country’s working population relies on agriculture which has been affected by years of conflict and instability. Our support is helping some 300,000 people to restart their livelihoods and grow their own crops

EU Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether it is the Government’s policy to continue to contribute to EU International Development efforts after the UK leaves the EU.

Harriett Baldwin: As the Prime Minister set out in her speech in Munich, the UK is seeking a broad and deep partnership with the EU and provided detail on how the UK future security partnership with the EU will work. It is in our mutual interests to be strong development partners after the UK has left the EU, and that we work coherently in response to specific crises overseas and helping the world’s most vulnerable.Where we hold shared commitments and objectives it is in our mutual interests to find ways to continue working together, on a case-by-case basis, to ensure that we can collectively draw on expertise, to achieve our global development objectives and to deliver the best value for money.

Department for International Development: Staff

Preet Kaur Gill: what proportion of her Department's staff are (a) female and (b) male.

Harriett Baldwin: As of 28 February 2018, DFID have 55.4% female and 44.6% male employees.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department supports the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territories Humanitarian Response Plan.

Alistair Burt: The UK is providing £1.9 million to support the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Gaza urgent funding appeal which was part of the 2017 Occupied Palestinian Territories Humanitarian Response Plan. This is being delivered through the UN Children’s Fund and is helping to provide clean water and rehabilitate sanitation facilities to stop the spread of disease, benefitting up to 1 million Gazans. DFID is currently carrying out a Resource Allocation Round to confirm 2018/2019 financial year budgets.

Members: Correspondence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she plans to reply to the letter of the hon Member for Harrow West of 13th February on UNAIDS.

Penny Mordaunt: I issued a reply to the Honourable Member for Harrow West on 15 March 2018.

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS: Sexual Harassment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has met the campaign group Code Blue to discuss concerns about sexual harassment at UNAIDs; and if she will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: I have not met with officials from Code Blue but I have been briefed by DFID officials on Code Blue’s concerns about the allegations of sexual harassment at UNAIDS. My officials met with Code Blue on 28 February to discuss this issue and informed them of the measures the UK is taking to raise safeguarding standards with all our partners, including UNAIDS, and that tackling harassment will be a priority during our Chairmanship of the Programme and Coordinating Board.

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS: Sexual Harassment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the merits of a system for reporting sexual harassment which is independent of senior management at UNAIDs; and if she will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: I have been firm in my demand that agencies show leadership and take action alongside the UK to improve reporting mechanisms for sexual exploitation and abuse, and have requested information on the measures that they have in place and assurance that these are being effectively implemented. I will assess the evidence that they provide to determine what action needs to be taken. DFID is leading and convening a group of likeminded donors to develop a strong, consistent approach to sexual harassment, intimidation and sexual exploitation and abuse, across the development and humanitarian sectors. This includes reviewing and shaping UNAIDS proposal for an independent, external panel to develop concrete recommendations to strengthen zero tolerance policies, including sexual harassment and abuse of power.

Department for Education

Universal Credit

Alex Burghart: To ask Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the annual cost of extending (a) free school meals, (b) the pupil premium to all pupils whose parents are in receipt of universal credit in (i) each of the next four years and (ii) once universal credit has been fully rolled out.

Nadhim Zahawi: We estimate that providing free school meals to all children from households receiving Universal Credit would result in around half of all pupils becoming eligible for free school meals – over three times as many as the 1.1 million (14%) that are eligible for and claiming free school meals in the latest figures[1]. We estimate that this would cost in excess of £3 billion more a year, including the cost of the extra meals and associated school deprivation funding, such as the pupil premium – the additional meal costs alone would be in excess of £450 million per year. Costs in each of the next four years will be lower than this as the proportion of the pupil population living in households receiving Universal Credit will be lower prior to the completion of rollout. We have not provided precise estimates for the next four years as we believe the level of uncertainty around these figures means that releasing them would not be in the public interest.  [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/eligibility-for-free-school-meals-and-the-early-years-pupil-premium-under-universal-credit

Unemployment: Young People

Alex Burghart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his Answer of 6 March to  Question 129597 on Unemployment: Young People, how many and what proportion of pupils who were (a) eligible for free school meals, (b) not eligible for free school meals, who were (i) included in the Children in Need census, (ii) not included in the Children in Need census, were not in education, employment or training for the whole of academic year 2013-14, three years after finishing key stage 4, in each ethnic group.

Anne Milton: The following tables show the number and proportion of pupils that were not in education, employment or training for the whole of academic year 2013-14, three years after finishing key stage 4. These figures include those eligible for free school meals, whether or not they were in the Children in Need census and their summary ethnic group. Pupils whose eligibility for free school meals is unknown are not included in these tables.  Eligible for free school meals between 10 and 15Not eligible for free school meals between 10 and 15Summary ethnic groupIn the Children in Need censusNot in the Children in Need censusIn the Children in Need censusNot in the Children in Need censusWhite7,900 (26%)6,300 (9%)4,800 (19%)6,400 (2%)Mixed500 (22%)300 (6%)200 (17%)200 (2%)Black400 (15%)300 (3%)200 (14%)200 (1%)Asian200 (11%)300 (2%)200 (10%)300 (1%)Any other group100 (12%)100 (2%)100 (22%)less than 100 (1%)Unknown600 (31%)300 (10%)300 (21%)300 (1%)Total9,600 (24%)7,500 (7%)5,800 (18%)7,400 (2%)Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100.

Schools: Police

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of school police liaison officers on (a) pupil's behaviour, (b) truancy rates and (c) youth crime rates in areas where such officers are deployed.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

*No heading*

Sandy Martin: What assessment he has made of the effect of the Government’s policy on funded childcare on the financial viability of childcare settings.

Anne Milton: By 2019-20, we will be spending approximately £6 billion a year on childcare support, including £1 billion to deliver 30 hours of free childcare and pay the higher funding rates that were introduced in April 2017. These rates were based on our ‘Review of Childcare Costs’, which was described as thorough and wide ranging by the National Audit Office. We are providing tailored support to providers on business sustainability and continue to monitor the implementation of 30 hours of free childcare.

*No heading*

Gillian Keegan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to promote apprenticeships.

Anne Milton: The department’s latest apprenticeship marketing campaign features digital advertising, radio, and social media to encourage employers across England to offer high quality apprenticeships, and individuals to take advantage of these opportunities.Our recent National Apprenticeship Week, with hundreds of events throughout the country, celebrated apprenticeships working for employers and individuals of all ages and backgrounds.

*No heading*

Henry Smith: What steps his Department has taken to increase the take-up of STEM subjects.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Labour Market: Databases

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has evaluated usage of its careerometer.

Anne Milton: Careerometer is an online tool developed by Labour Market Information for All. It has been made freely available to provide people with access to high-quality labour market information. The department does not collect information centrally about the usage of Careerometer. It is, however, being used in a number of schools and colleges to support their careers provision.

Engineering: Vocational Guidance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to raise awareness of engineering as a career among secondary school pupils.

Anne Milton: To ensure young people have the skills needed for jobs in engineering we are investing in programmes to increase the take-up of mathematics, by incentivising schools using the recently launched advanced mathematics premium. We are also supporting better teaching of mathematics, physics and computing in schools, including a new £84 million programme to improve computing teaching. We are improving careers advice in schools – including ensuring that pupils are exposed to science, technology, engineering and mathematics jobs. These encounters with employers and apprenticeships are now built into school career programmes since we have updated the school and college statutory guidance. Engineering and all it brings is at the heart of economic success and provides exciting opportunities of fulfilling careers. This year we are running a cross-government, national campaign - the ‘Year of Engineering’ – which aims to raise the profile of engineering among 7 to 16 year olds and widening the pool of young people that consider engineering as a career.

Adoption: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2018 to Question 130543, by what method his Department assesses the cost-effectiveness of funding given to adopters under the Adoption Support Fund in the absence of information on adoption breakdown.

Nadhim Zahawi: All applications for funding from the Adoption Support Fund (ASF) by local authorities and regional adoption agencies are based on an up to date assessment of the support needs of the adoptive family. The fund requires local authorities to meet it terms and conditions for funding, which include requirements that the procurement of funded services follow the relevant European, national and local rules and processes to secure best value for money. These terms and conditions can be found at: http://www.adoptionsupportfund.co.uk/Portals/0/Adoption%20Support%20Fund%20Terms%20and%20Conditions%20of%20Funding.pdf?ver=2017-03-08-154522-847. Last August, we published an independent evaluation of the ASF. The results showed high levels of satisfaction amongst parents: 84% thought that the fund had helped their child and improvements in behaviour and mental health were also referenced.

Apprentices

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the Government classes older apprentices as those over the age of 25; and if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising that age.

Anne Milton: Apprenticeships offer an excellent route into skilled employment for people of all ages. The department’s historic measure of finishing formal education is 25, and for all historic and future social mobility measures, the age of 25 is classed as adult. We provide detailed figures for apprenticeship starts by age as part of our Statistical First Release, which is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/675513/201617_apprenticeships_detailed_demographic_tool_by_SSAv2.xlsx.

Social Work: Vocational Guidance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to promote social work as a career choice.

Anne Milton: We will continue to promote social work as a career through our investment in social work fast track training programmes. Frontline has a remit to attract into the profession high performing graduates who may not previously have considered social work as a career. Frontline maintains a significant presence in university campuses, attracting a record number of candidates to start the programme this year.We shall also continue to work with local authorities and universities, through our Step Up and Teaching Partnership programmes, to attract people with the right skills and experiences from within their communities to become social workers.

Apprentices

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of young people aged between 16 and 24 who started an apprenticeship remained in their placement after (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) 12 months in the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.

Anne Milton: The information requested is not held centrally. However, we publish figures on ‘achievements’, and for 2016/17 (latest full year), achievements numbers for apprenticeships is published in table 7.2 in the tables at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/further-education-and-skills-november-2017. We also publish ‘achievements rates’, and this will be refreshed on 22 March with the latest data at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sfa-national-success-rates-tables.

Pupils: Mental Illness

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) eating disorders and (b) body image issues among young people in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Primary Education: Sports

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much his Department has spent from the public purse on supporting sport in primary schools in each year since 2010.

Nadhim Zahawi: Through the primary PE and Sport premium, the government has invested over £600 million of ring-fenced funding to primary schools to improve PE and sport between 2013 and 2017. The government doubled the premium to £320 million a year from September 2017 using revenue from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy and funding will continue at this level in 2018/19. Schools must use the funding to make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of PE and sport they offer. The premium must be used to develop or add to the PE and sport activities that a school already offers and make improvements now that will benefit pupils joining the school in future years. A further £100 million of revenue generated from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy will be used for the Healthy Pupils Capital Fund which supports both primary and secondary schools. This fund is intended to improve children’s and young people’s physical and mental health by enhancing access to facilities for physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and wellbeing and medical conditions. These facilities include kitchens, dining facilities, changing rooms, playgrounds and sports facilities.

Children in Care

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children under the age of (a) 11 and (b) 18 were taken into care in each of the last three years as a result of their mother being imprisoned; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally.

Department for Education: Recruitment

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which external recruitment agencies are used by his Department's non-departmental public bodies.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children with SEND have not been transferred to Education and Health Care Plans.

Nadhim Zahawi: The latest published figures, as at 19 January 2017, show that there were 112,057 children or young people with a Statement of SEN (39%) and 175,233 children or young people with an EHC plan (61%). The department collects annual data from local authorities on the number of Statements of Special Educational Need (SEN) and Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans that each local authority maintains. This data is published in the statistical first release “Statements of SEN and EHC plans: England”. The latest figures are available in Table 1 of the Main Tables on the department’s website at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2017.

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the legal status will be from 1 April 2018 of children’s SEN statements that have not been transferred to an education, health and care plan.

Nadhim Zahawi: Any Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) for which a transfer review has not been completed by 31 March 2018 will remain in force until a transfer review (a full Education, Health and Care needs assessment) has been completed and a decision made about future provision. Local authorities remain responsible for ensuring that the provision identified in Statements of SEN is met. This will ensure that children and young people in this situation do not lose support.

Teachers: Pay

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the number of teachers on each point of the main pay range.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Teachers: Pay

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the number of teachers on each point of the upper pay range.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Sign Language: GCSE

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has held with (a) examination boards, (b) teachers, (c) students and (d) other stakeholders on the creation of a GCSE in British Sign Language; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Adoption and Surrogate Motherhood: MRKH Syndrome

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking steps to assist people with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome with the financial costs of (a) adoption and (b) surrogacy; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: We know that many people unable to give birth, such as those with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome, look to alternatives such as adoption and surrogacy. The process of adopting a child in England is free for all eligible adopters whether they approach a local authority or a voluntary adoption agency. Local authorities have the power to make discretionary financial payments to adopters for the purpose of supporting the placement of the adoptive child with them or the continuation of adoption arrangements after an adoption order is made. In addition, local authorities are required to assess the need for post-adoption support when requested by adoptive parents or children. The government has invested significantly in adoption support through the Adoption Support Fund. Since its launch in May 2015, more than £66 million has been provided for thousands of families to access therapeutic support. Decisions about local NHS services, including assisted conception and fertility treatment, are the responsibility of local Clinical Commissioning Groups and will take into account the overall needs of the local population. Individual cases where patients suffer from conditions such as Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome may be given exceptional consideration.

Ministry of Justice

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for each community rehabilitation company, how many people under supervision had (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, (e) five or more different designated probation officers in 2017.

Rory Stewart: This information is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many crimes were committed by people being supervised by each community rehabilitation company in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017.

Rory Stewart: In assessing the performance of Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) in reducing reoffending, the MoJ publishes quarterly proven reoffending statistics by CRCs for the cohorts of offenders they manage. These include the number of proven offences committed in the one year follow up period. Published headline figures are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/payment-by-results-statistics-january-to-march-2017. Also published within this are interim figures which include the latest assessment of CRC reoffending rates before headline one-year figures become available.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the proportion of prison assaults in 2017 that were committed as a result of the assailant taking a psychoactive substance.

Rory Stewart: The number of assaults by prisoners is published in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. The records from which this information is drawn do not include information about whether or not the prisoner or prisoners involved had taken a psychoactive substance, because it is not possible for staff to know that at the time of the incident. We know that the availability of psychoactive substances is a driver of violence in prisons, and we take the issue extremely seriously. We have implemented a new drug testing programme; we have invested in technology and sniffer dogs to improve detection; and we have formed a drugs task force focused on the prisons with the worst drug problems, which will tackle demand and supply. In addition, we are investing £2million in body-worn cameras, which will act as a visible deterrent against violence and assist with prosecutions. We are also introducing new-style handcuffs and piloting PAVA incapacitant spray.

Prisons: Civil Disorder

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many internal reports on riots or other disorder incidents in prison his Department has conducted since 2010; and for each such report (a) when was and (b) about which prison each such report was written.

Rory Stewart: This information is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice: Written Questions

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2018 to Question 130238, on Prison Officers, what is estimate his Department has made of the cost of answering that question.

Rory Stewart: The requested information is not recorded centrally as this is not a business requirement. In respect of cost related to collate the information requested, we would need to check individual records for the past 12 months; estimated to be around 7,280 records. The time taken to complete this work would far exceed the Department’s cost limit of £850 for answering a parliamentary question. We estimate a minimum cost of around £14,000 to create and collate this information separately.

Prison Sentences: Females

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women received custodial sentence in 2017, by each Home Office offence code.

Dr Phillip Lee: The number of women who received a custodial sentence in 2015 and 2016 in England and Wales can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/685050/experimental-statistics-by-ho-offence-code.zip Select and open “Experimental statistics – proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code”. The requested figures can be found in the immediate custody column with the results split by gender using the gender column. Court proceedings data for 2017 are planned for publication in May 2018. We are committed to doing all we can to address the issues around female offending so we can better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation. That is why we plan to set out a strategy for female offenders, to improve outcomes and services for women in both the community and custody. Custodial sentences are reserved for the most serious offences and as a last resort.

Confiscation Orders

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding his Department has spent on staffing costs for staff responsible for enforcement of orders for confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since 2010.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding his Department has spent on staffing costs for staff responsible for the coordination and management of orders for confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: The table below shows the total cost of HM Courts and Tribunals Service staff dedicated to the enforcement of confiscation orders. This includes the enforcement of all confiscation orders, not just those made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Staff involved in confiscation order enforcement undertake a range of duties to ensure orders are properly managed and enforced. The figures provided below relate solely to HM Courts and Tribunals Service costs and do not include enforcement costs of other agencies. The figures provided below covers the period from 2013 to 2017. Unfortunately, due to a change in the financial system used it is not possible to provide the data prior to this period as there are no comparable figures available from the archived financial data. 2013-142014-152015-162016-17£1,224,853£1,289,278£1,352,222£1,326,514

Ministry of Justice: Capita

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2018 to Question 126471, on Capita, which contractual obligations Capita has with his Department (a) do and (b) do not flow down to subcontractors.

Rory Stewart: In line with Cabinet Office best practice and the provisions contained within the contract, Capita are obliged to flow down all terms to their approved subcontractors, unless otherwise agreed with the Authority. In the case of the Bridge contract there is a more stringent service level between the MoJ and Capita than Capita and its subcontractor, G4S. Procedures are in place to manage this discrepancy and the MoJ does not receive a lower level of service for agreeing this. Under the Capita subcontract with Vodafone as part of the Electronic Monitoring and Field Services Contract, Capita and MoJ agreed an exemption from the obligation to flow down terms in relation to maintenance timescales, however this does not impact Capita’s obligations to MoJ or the service it provides. While it is best practice to flow down all terms there are instances where doing so proves unrealistic and counterproductive. The decision to waive this obligation is made on the basis of risk and cost to all parties.

Ministry of Justice: Capita

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2018 to Question 126471, on Capita, on how many occasions his Department has refused to approve a subcontractor proposed by Capita in each year since 2010; what reason was given for each such refusal; and what the name was of each proposed subcontracting company.

Rory Stewart: There have been no incidences in which the Ministry of Justice has rejected a subcontractor proposed by Capita, in relation to delivering Electronic Monitoring services.

Probation

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for each community rehabilitation company, how many people currently under supervision have had (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four and (e) five or more different designated probation officers.

Rory Stewart: This information is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Coroners

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has plans to increase the accountability of coroners to the public; and if he will make a statement.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has plans to make changes to the system of complaints on the conduct of coroners; and if he will make a statement.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has plans to make coroners subject to freedom of information requests; and if he will make a statement.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has plans to change the remit of the Chief Coroner; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Phillip Lee: We have no plans to change the remit of the Chief Coroner, nor to amend the accountability of coroners, or the complaints procedures in relation to the conduct of coroners.Judicial office holders, including coroners, must be independent and free from external influence in the exercise of their judicial functions. These are fundamental principles for the protection of the rule of law and the constitutional separation of powers. Complaints against the conduct of a Coroner, as with any other judge, are considered by the Judicial Complaints and Investigations Office while a coroner’s decision may be subject to challenge in the courts by way of a judicial review. Judicial office holders are not a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and are therefore not subject to disclosure under that Act. The Chief Coroner’s role, defined in statute, is to provide national leadership for coroners, devise and deliver training and provide written guidance on various matters to ensure consistency of standards and approach. He is also required to produce an annual report for the Lord Chancellor, which the Lord Chancellor must then lay before Parliament.

Employment Tribunals Service: Undocumented Workers

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many claims by migrants working undocumented in the UK were taken up by employment tribunals in each of the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: The Employment Tribunal does not record information on the number of claims submitted by migrants working undocumented in the UK.

Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many employment tribunal cases have been brought under equalities legislation (a) in each year since tribunal fees of £1,200 were introduced and (b) in the year prior to the introduction of those fees.

Lucy Frazer: HM Courts & Tribunals Service publishes annual and quarterly data on the number of claims broken down by jurisdiction including those that relate to the Equality Act, which can be found using the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics#employment-tribunal-and-employment-appeal-tribunal-statistics-gb.

Courts: Buildings

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2018 to Question 127599 on Courts: Buildings, to whom each court was sold.

Lucy Frazer: We are investing over £1bn to reform and improve our world-leading courts and tribunals system. Our ongoing court sales are contributing to the court reform programme. The names of the buyers for each of the courts included in the answer to Question 127599 are included in the table below.  Buyer2010/2011ALDRIDGE MAGISTRATES’ COURTAldridge Prime UKLEIGH COUNTY COURTPlatinum Projects Europe LimitedLOUTH MAGISTRATES’ COURTLouth Town CouncilSLEAFORD MAGISTRATES’ COURTBickford LtdWIGAN COUNTY COURTPrivate IndividualWORKSOP COUNTY COURTPrivate IndividualBARNET MAGISTRATES’ COURTRegent Lodge Hotel Ltd 2011/12ABERTILLERY MAGISTRATES’ COURTCrimsonwardACTON MAGISTRATES’ COURTVerve Properties LtdBLANDFORD MAGISTRATES’ COURTCharles Elliot Properties LtdBODMIN COUNTY COURTPrivate IndividualBRENTFORD MAGISTRATES’ COURTAbchurch Properties LtdCAERNARFON CROWN COURTPrivate IndividualCHESHUNT MAGISTRATES’ COURTSit Sales Marketing LtdCOALVILLE MAGISTRATES’ COURTLee Cooper Funeral DirectorsCULLOMPTON MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualEASTLEIGH MAGISTRATES’ COURTEastleigh Borough CouncilGAINSBOROUGH MAGISTRATES’ COURTErindale LtdGRAVESEND COUNTY COURTThe Alpha FoundationHARROW MAGISTRATES’ COURTJaspar FoundationHORSEFERRY ROAD MAGISTRATES’ COURTBarratt HomesMANSFIELD COUNTY COURTInterschool Travel LtdPENRITH MAGISTRATES’ COURTEden District CouncilSTRATFORD-UPON-AVON MAGISTRATES’ COURTWarwickshire Police AuthoritySUTTON MAGISTRATES’ COURTMcCarthy and StoneWITNEY MAGISTRATES’ COURTAbingdon and Witney CollegeMILDENHALL MAGISTRATES’ COURTEastgate Vetinary GroupRHONDDA MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualWHITBY MAGISTRATES’ COURTTCWP 015 LimitedCAERNARFON MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualMARYLEBONE MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrudential 2012/13 ABERDARE MAGISTRATES’ COURTA and JM Sheppard LtdALNWICK MAGISTRATES’ COURTGateshead CouncilAMMANFORD MAGISTRATES’ COURTCarmarthenshire County CouncilBARKING MAGISTRATES’ COURTPlatinum Revolver SPCBARNSLEY COUNTY COURTHornbuckle Mitchell Trustees ltd LimitedBARRY MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualBLAYDON MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualBRISTOL MAGISTRATES’ COURTDeeley FreedCAMBORNE MAGISTRATES’ COURTCornwall CouncilCARMARTHEN COUNTY COURTUnion Pension Trustees LimitedCONSETT COUNTY COURTDelmont Project ServicesCONSETT COUNTY COURTDelmont Project servicesGUISBOROUGH MAGISTRATES’ COURTNunthorpe Gospel Hall TrustHEMEL HEMPSTEAD MAGISTRATES’ COURTDacorum Borough CouncilHEXHAM MAGISTRATES’ COURTHexham AbbeyILFORD COUNTY COURTGuru Nanak Satsang SabhaILKESTON MAGISTRATES’ COURTDerby CollegeNEWPORT MAGISTRATES’ COURTVallis Nominees LtdNORTHWICH MAGISTRATES’ COURTChester CouncilPENZANCE COUNTY COURTAlverton Medical PracticePORT TALBOT MAGISTRATES’ COURTNeath and Port Talbot County and BCPWLLHELI MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualSITTINGBOURNE MAGISTRATES’ COURTBailey Partners Investment LtdSUTTON COLDFIELD MAGISTRATES’ COURTSEMWATECHNOLOGY & CONSTRUCTION COURTFetter Lane Developments LtdWOOLWICH MAGISTRATES’ COURTGrange Estates LtdMARKET HARBOROUGH MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualNEWARK MAGISTRATES’ COURTNewark CollegeRUGBY MAGISTRATES’ AND COUNTY COURTWarwickshire Police AuthorityWEST BROMWICH MAGISTRATES’ COURTMonmax Partners LtdABERAERON OFFICE SUNNYSIDE MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate Individual 2013/14 BALHAM YOUTH COURTBellevue Place Education TrustCARDIGAN MAGISTRATES’ COURT4CGDENBIGH MAGISTRATES’ COURTStaffordshire County CouncilDEWSBURY COUNTY COURTPrivate IndividualDIDCOT MAGISTRATES’ COURTSOHA housing LtdELY MAGISTRATES’ COURTCity Of Ely CouncilGOSFORTH MAGISTRATES’ COURTAdamson Developments LtdHALESOWEN MAGISTRATES’ COURTRuskin PropertiesHARWICH MAGISTRATES’ COURTAmbassador House London LtdIPSWICH CROWN COURTIpswich Borough CouncilKEIGHLEY COUNTY COURTBelton Road PropertiesLISKEARD MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualNEWPORT MAGISTRATES’ COURTNewport County CouncilRETFORD MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualSALFORD MAGISTRATES’ COURTSalford Town Hall LtdSWAFFHAM MAGISTRATES’ COURTNM and SM DickersonTAMWORTH MAGISTRATES’ COURTStaffordshire CCTHETFORD MAGISTRATES’ COURTHavebury Housing PartnershipTOWER BRIDGE MAGISTRATES’ COURTDominvs Hotels UK LtdWAREHAM MAGISTRATES’ COURTBiotrack LtdWHITEHAVEN MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualWISBECH MAGISTRATES’ COURTFoster Property DevelopmentsASHFORD MAGISTRATES’ COURTCXK LtdLAUNCESTON MAGISTRATES’ COURTM and M Plant LtdMELTON MOWBRAY MAGISTRATES’ COURTINA LtdRAWTENSTALL MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualSUDBURY MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualWOKING MAGISTRATES’ COURTSurrey County Council 2014/15 CHESHIRE MCC COURTBrabco 1327 LtdCROMER MAGISTRATES’ COURTMcCarthy and Stone Retirement LtdDAVENTRY MAGISTRATES’ COURTOffice of PCC NorthamptonDEWSBURY MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualEPPING MAGISTRATES’ COURTMarden Homes InvestmentsHARINGEY MAGISTRATES’ COURTBellway HomesHONITON MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualLLANDRINDOD WELLS MAGISTRATES’ COURTP.A.R Homes LtdNEATH MAGISTRATES’ COURTNeath and Port Talbot County BCPONTYPOOL COUNTY COURTPenninsureREDDITCH COUNTY COURTPrivate IndividualROCHDALE MAGISTRATES’ COURTTrustees of Golden Mosque Islamic CentreSELBY MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualBISHOP AUCKLAND MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualKNOWSLEY MAGISTRATES’ COURTPCC for MerseysideMID SUSSEX MAGISTRATES’ COURTRenaissance RetirementROCHDALE MAGISTRATES’ COURTTrustees of Golden Mosque IslamicSOUTHPORT MAGISTRATES’ COURTAPUK 2015/16 ANDOVER MAGISTRATES’ COURTTest Valley BCBRIDPORT MAGISTRATES’ COURTChurchill Retirement LivingBURTON ON TRENT COUNTY COURTSandhu BrothersCOLEFORD MAGISTRATES’ COURTGloucestershire PoliceFLINT MAGISTRATES’ COURTFlintshire County CouncilGOOLE MAGISTRATES’ COURTHumberside Police AuthorityHOUGHTON LE SPRING MAGISTRATES’ COURTNorthumbria Police AuthorityHOUGHTON LE SPRING MCNorthumbria Police AuthorityKNUTSFORD CROWN COURTFlat Caps Hotels LtdLEWES MAGISTRATES’ COURTQuora / West RockMARKET DRAYTON MAGISTRATES’ COURTShropshire CouncilSTOKE ON TRENT MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualWANTAGE MAGISTRATES’ COURTRenaissance RetirementWIMBORNE MAGISTRATES’ COURTDorset County CouncilWITHAM MAGISTRATES’ COURTJulia Mackay Properties 2016/17 BRIDGEND LAW COURTSLinc-Cymru Housing AssociationCARMARTHEN MAGISTRATES’ & CROWN COURTCarmarthenshire CouncilEAST BERKSHIRE (BRACKNELL) MAGISTRATES’ COURTBracknell Forest District CouncilFELTHAM MAGISTRATES’ COURTRowanlock LtdFROME MAGISTRATES’ COURTNewlandsGRANTHAM MAGISTRATES’ AND COUNTY COURTGrantham Investments LtdGRANTHAM MAGISTRATES’ COURTGrantham Investments LtdPONTYPRIDD MAGISTRATES’ COURTJehu GroupSHERBORNE MAGISTRATES’ COURTDorset PCCSPALDING MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualSWANSEA CROWN COURTSwansea City CouncilTOTNES MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualWeston Super Mare Magistrates’ CourtAvon and Somerset PolicePONTEFRACT MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualBRIDGEWATER MAGISTRATES’ COURTAvon and Somerset Police 2017/18 BOW COUNTY COURTRedeemed Evangelical MissionCIRENCESTER MAGISTRATES’ COURTPCC for GloucestershireDORKING MAGISTRATES’ COURTRenaissance Retirement HomesGREENWICH MAGISTRATES’ COURTLondon Hotel Group Greenwich LtdHAMMERSMITH MAGISTRATES’ COURTDominvs Project Company LtdHOLYHEAD MAGISTRATES’ COURTPrivate IndividualNEATH AND PORT TALBOT COUNTY COURTNeath and Port Talbot County BCREDHILL MAGISTRATES’ COURTESFARHYL COUNTY COURTWallwich DevelopmentsRICHMOND UPON THAMES MAGISTRATES’ COURTBritish Airways Pension Trustees LtdSOLIHULL MAGISTRATES’ COURTAldiWALTHAM FOREST MAGISTRATES’ COURTThe Major of London Waltham ForestWOOLWICH COUNTY COURTMountain of Fire and MinistriesCHESTER-LE-ST MAGISTRATES’ COURTDurham PCCTOTTENHAM (ENFIELD) MAGISTRATES’ COURTTrinity Estates Ltd

Ministry of Justice: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what financial deductions were levied against companies with which his Department had a contract during 2017; and if he will list for each financial deduction the (a) reason for that deduction and (b) company the deduction was made against.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many key performance indicators in contracts signed by his Department were (a) met and (b) not met in 2017.

Rory Stewart: The requested information is not stored centrally. The MoJ would be required to manually check the records for all contracts currently held and collate into a single response. The information requested could therefore only be obtained at disproportionate cost.The MoJ regards well-managed contracts as fundamental to the proper functioning of the justice system, and a vital part of court and prison reform plans. The MoJ’s contract management teams closely monitor and robustly manage providers to ensure they fulfil their contractual commitments to maintain service delivery and value for money.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 16.46 KB)

Ministry of Justice: Amey

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2018 to Question 130494 on Ministry of Justice: Amey, for what reason his Department does not hold centrally information on whether Amey is meeting Key Performance Indicators.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice maintains monthly scorecards of contracts held with Amey, which include records of the number of key performance indicators achieved or failed that month. This information is stored on these monthly scorecards opposed to within a central database.   The MoJ closely monitors Private providers performance and will not hesitate to act where standards fall short. It is important to recognise that providers achieve the majority of their contractual targets.

Ministry of Justice: Public Opinion

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on focus groups in December 2017.

Dr Phillip Lee: Information about how much money the Ministry of Justice has spent on all focus group activity is not collected. It is not possible to extrapolate focus group spend from the wider spend on social research or communications and marketing research.

Prisoners: Childbirth

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children were born to women in custody in each of the last three years.

Dr Phillip Lee: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Sentencing: Females

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women received custodial sentences of less than (a) three and (b) six months in each of the last three years.

Dr Phillip Lee: The number of female offenders who received custodial sentences of less than (a) three and (b) six months from 2014 to 2016, can be viewed in the table The number of female offenders given custody by length in England and Wales, 2014-2016 (1)(2)Immediate custody201420152016Less than six months5,0814,9274,957of which   Less than 3 months3,9073,8173,952(1) The sentence shown is the most severe sentence given for the principal offence (i.e. the principal sentence), secondary sentences given for the principal offence and sentences for non-principal offences are not counted in the tables.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. We are committed to doing all we can to address the issues around female offending so we can better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation. That is why we plan to set out a strategy for female offenders, to improve outcomes and services for women in both the community and custody.

CAFCASS: Complaints

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many complaints have been made against the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Lucy Frazer: 785 complaints were made against the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) in the period from 1 April 2017 to 31 December 2017.The figure for the year 2016/17 was 988. This represents three complaints for every 1000 cases.Figures for previous years can be found in Cafcass Annual Reports which can be accessed on the Cafcass website: www.cafcass.gov.uk/about-cafcass/reports-and-strategies/annual-reports/

CAFCASS: Finance

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service received in each of the last six years.

Lucy Frazer: The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service has received total resource funding in respect of its statutory functions as follows: Reporting yearTotal funding received from central government2012-2013£ 127.472 million2013-2014£ 125.070 million2014-2015£ 117.144 million2015-2016£ 117.669 million2016-2017£ 115.046 million2017-2018£ 118.636 million

Funerals

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing (a) national minimum standards and (b) eligibility criteria to the administration of public health funerals.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Government has not made such an assessment.

Funerals: Children

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government has plans to introduce a children's funeral fund.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Government is committed to ensuring that all families who lose a child are given the support they need. We already have the Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment scheme to support eligible bereaved families in need of financial support, and I am leading a piece of work across government to:support Kevin Hollinrake’s Private Members’ Bill, to introduce Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) for parents who lose a child under the age of 18;introduce a shorter application form for claims relating to children’s funerals from the Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment scheme, making it easier for bereaved parents to apply for financial support; andbring together information and support from across Government and more widely so it is easily accessible to bereaved parents.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Gypsies and Travellers: Health Services

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the report of the Ministerial working group on tackling inequalities experienced by Gypsies and Travellers, published in April 2012, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on progress in promoting improved health outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Travelling communities through the planning system; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Government’s Inclusion Health programme published a number of resources from 2013 to 2016 on key issues affecting Gypsies, Travellers and Roma people. The reports were largely developed with the participation of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma stakeholders and health professionals. These included guidance on planning and commissioning inclusive services and a report on the impact of insecure accommodation and the living environment on Gypsies’ and Travellers’ health.On 5 March 2018, the Government launched a consultation on proposed revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework. The consultation asks whether any changes should be made to the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites as a result of the proposed changes to the Framework, and if so, what these changes should be. We welcome views on the consultation, which closes on 10 May 2018 and can be accessed here https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/draft-revised-national-planning-policy-framework

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the Government plans to issue its consultation on reviewing the effectiveness of laws designed to tackle illegal encampments set up by Travellers and Gypsies.

Dominic Raab: The Government will publish a consultation on powers for dealing with unauthorised development and encampments. My Department is working closely with the Home Office and Ministry of Justice in finalising the consultation paper, and we will be in a position to clarify the timing of the consultation shortly.

Council Tax: Valuation

Mike Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to review the banding of domestic properties for the purpose of collecting council tax.

Rishi Sunak: The Government has no plans to undertake a council tax revaluation.

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation: Families

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, in how many instances local authorities have exceeded the six-week limit for using bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless families in the most recent 12 months for which data is available; and how many local authorities have so exceeded that limit in that same period.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government publishes regular statistics on rough sleeping, statutory homelessness and homelessness prevention and relief in England. These are published at a local authority level. The latest statistics can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statisticsEngland has a strong homelessness safety net, providing protection to the most vulnerable in our society so they always have a roof over their heads.In 2011, we changed the law so that councils can place families in decent and affordable private rented homes. This now means homeless households should not have to wait as long for settled accommodation.The law is also clear that households with dependent children should only be accommodated in Bed and Breakfast (B&B) in an emergency and then for no longer than 6 weeks.Our Homelessness Advice and Support Team, drawn from local authorities and the homelessness sector, is supporting councils throughout England and providing targeted challenge. There are some councils who are successfully reducing the number and length of time families are spending in B&B accommodation; we expect areas in similar situations to follow their example.

Housing Benefit: Refuges

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2018 to Question 130452, on Housing Benefit: Refuges, when his Department plans to respond to the feedback received through its short-term consultation which closed on 23 January 2018.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The consultations on the short-term accommodation grant and sheltered housing model closed on Tuesday 23 January 2018.We are now analysing the responses received and the Government will provide a full response in the early summer of 2018. In the meantime we will continue to work with providers and local government on the details of the proposed funding models.

One Public Estate Programme

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what restrictions are placed on the use of capital receipts gained from local authorities' disposals of surplus property through the One Public Estate programme; and what guidance his Department provides on the use of capital receipts gained from local authorities' disposals of surplus property through the One Public Estate programme.

Rishi Sunak: There are a wide range of projects that qualify for expenditure using the capital receipts, for example: sharing back-office and administrative services with one or more other council or public sector bodies and setting up commercial or alternative delivery models to deliver services more efficiently and bring in revenue. The Statutory Guidance issued in March 2016 will still apply for the extended period.Capital receipts raised from disposals supported by the One Public Estate programme are treated in the same way as standard disposals, in line with Minstry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s policy, stated above.

Non-domestic Rates: Aviation

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will reduce business rates for general aviation airfields to reflect their potential contribution to the economy.

Rishi Sunak: The Government recognises the importance of general aviation. It has appointed Byron Davies as its champion, and at the end of 2018 he will deliver a report on the role that general aviation plays in the economy and address the potential contribution of general aviation aerodromes to the economy.At the 2016 Budget, the Chancellor announced the biggest ever cut in business rates – worth approximately £9 billion across the next five years to support businesses. In addition at the Autumn 2017 Budget, the Chancellor stated that we will bring forward the switch of the annual indexation of business rates from RPI to CPI by two years to April 2018 a measure worth £2.3 billion over 5 years.

Housing: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the use of high pressure laminate cladding is permitted under Approved Document B.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Building Research Establishment

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Building Research Establishment has represented the Government in an official capacity on fire safety in the last five years.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Right to Buy Scheme

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the amount that councils are required to pay back in right to buy receipts; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: Under the reinvigoration of the Right to Buy in 2012, councils were able, for the first time, to keep the receipts from additional sales. This has raised over £2 billion for councils to reinvest in new affordable housing. As part of the self-financing settlement with councils in 2012, a proportion of Right to Buy receipts (20 per cent of the national total) are paid to the Treasury, to help address the deficit in the nation’s finances.

Right to Buy Scheme

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what right to buy receipts each local authority has paid to HM Treasury in each financial year since 2012-13.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing: Construction

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities to ensure that unused brownfield sites are redeveloped for housing.

Dominic Raab: On 5 March 2018 the Government issued for consultation our proposed revision of the National Planning Policy Framework, which sets out stronger and clearer expectations of local planning authorities in their approach to making full, efficient use of brownfield land. The Draft Framework says that local planning policies and decisions should give substantial weight to the value of using suitable brownfield within settlements for homes, support opportunities to remediate degraded land and promote the development of under-utilised land and space above buildings and infrastructure, especially for housing. Consultation continues to 10 May 2018.Each local authority is now required to publish a register of the brownfield land in its area suitable for new homes. So far, around 28,000 hectares of developable land, on over 17,000 sites, have been drawn to the attention of house-builders by this method. Local authorities can also grant permission in principle to sites on these registers, providing early certainty about the possible extent of housing-led development on a site.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much funding allocated to programmes in his Department has been reallocated to programmes preparing for the UK leaving the EU.

Jake Berry: No funding allocated to programmes in the Department has been reallocated.We secured additional flexibility to retain income at Autumn Budget to deliver our agenda, including EU exit.

Garden Communities

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the criteria for and restrictions on borrowing for local authorities are in relation to garden settlement proposals.

Dominic Raab: Under Local Government Act 2003, local authorities have the freedom to borrow and invest, without government consent, provided that their borrowing is affordable. As part of this ‘prudential’ framework, every local authority is required to set its own borrowing limit, which must be approved by full Council or the equivalent at least annually. The Government has backstop powers to set national borrowing limits at times of economic crisis, which would override the normal prudential freedoms. These powers have never been used.

Local Government: Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2018 to Question 131575, on Local Government: Dorset, what assessment he has made of the finding in paragraph 1.42 of the Final Report of Opinion Research Services on Researching your councils' consultation that the household survey is a better guide than the open questionnaire to the balance of public opinion across Christchurch.

Rishi Sunak: The Secretary of State had regard to all the relevant information available to him when considering the proposal from Dorset councils including, as I referenced in my answer to Question UIN 131575 on 12 March 2018, the findings of the open questionnaire and the household survey, as well as any comments and representations relating to the questionnaire and survey.

Local Government: Reorganisation

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 7 November 2017, Local Government Improvement, HCWS 232, what public consultation preceded that policy announcement; and if he will make a statement.

Rishi Sunak: An extensive public consultation was undertaken by Opinion Research Services on behalf of all nine Dorset councils between 30 August 2016 and 25 October 2016, including an open consultation questionnaire, a representative household survey based upon 20,000 randomly selected households, a survey of all parish and town councils, 15 workshops, nine in depth interviews and written submissions. Full details of this are available at: www.futuredorset.co.ukFollowing the Secretary of State’s announcement on 7 November 2017, further representations were invited until 8 January 2018. Over 200 representations were received in this period, all of which were taken into account by the Secretary of State before making his decision, announced on 26 February 2018.

Local Government: Redundancy Pay

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what response his Department received to its suggestion that councils in Dorset should apply a voluntary cap of £95,000 to any exit payments arising from local government reorganisation.

Rishi Sunak: Redundancy policies are a matter for individual councils having regard to the contracts of employment into which they have entered. The Dorset councils have informally indicated their expectation that there would be very few cases where redundancy payments would exceed £95,000, and even in such cases any excess over £95,000 would be minimal.The Government is supportive of the principle of a cap of £95,000. In 2016 the Government legislated to cap exit payments across the public sector to a maximum of £95,000. A consultation on proposed implementation arrangements will be forthcoming in 2018.

Ministry of Defence

Defence Equipment: Sales

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the military assets his Department has sold to other countries; and what the criteria was for those sales in each of the last five years.

Guto Bebb: This information is contained in the United Kingdom Strategic Export Controls Report, published annually. The reports for 2013-2016 are available on gov.uk; the latest report can be accessed using the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-strategic-export-controls-annual-report-2016The report for 2017 is due to be published in the summer of this year.

Defence Equipment: Sales

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK companies have received a financial return from his Department's sale of military assets in each of the last five years; and what the value was of those returns.

Guto Bebb: The Defence Equipment Sales Authority disposes of defence equipment that is surplus to requirement. Most surplus equipment is sold through a series of competitively awarded marketing agreements with specialist contractors.For the period 2013 – 2018, the UK contractors are: CompanyContract DurationLeafield Logistics and Technical Services Ltd1992 to dateMilitary Spares UK Ltd2010 to dateNorthburn Industrial Services Ltd2010 to 2015Metal and Waste Ltd2011 to 2017Disposal Services Ltd2012 to dateWitham (Specialist Vehicles) Ltd2012 to dateAgility Project Logistics Ltd2012 to dateE-cycle Ltd2012 to dateAzcom Ltd2013Toner Inc2013Fire Protection Recycling Ltd2013 to dateEuropean Metal Recycling Ltd2017 to dateSlicker Recycling Ltd2017 to date  I am withholding information about the revenue accrued by companies from these contractual agreements as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Submarines: Decommissioning

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on the Submarine Dismantling Project; and if he will make a statement.

Guto Bebb: Work on the demonstrator vessel, Swiftsure, is progressing well. Stage 1, the removal of solid low level and non-radioactive waste, is on target to be completed by the end of 2018.

War Pensions: Mesothelioma

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the number of war disablement pension claims from veterans with mesothelioma from (a) 16 December 2015 to 3 April 2016, (b) 4 April 2016 to 2 April 2017 and (c) 3 April 2017 to 9 March 2018.

Guto Bebb: The number of War Disablement Pension claims from veterans with mesothelioma are as follows:16 December 2015 to 3 April 2016 - 184 April 2016 to 2 April 2017 - 80April 2017 to 9 March 2018 - 124

War Pensions: Mesothelioma

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the number of war widow(er)s pensions awarded for veterans who died of mesothelioma between (a) 6 April 2015 to 3 April 2016, (b) 4 April 2016 2 April 2017 and (c) 3 April 2017 to 9 March 2018.

Guto Bebb: The number of War Widow(er)s pensions awarded for veterans who died of Mesothelioma for the period 6 April 2015 to 9 March 2018 is less than five.Due to the small numbers involved, the figures have been provided in line with Departmental policy on disclosure, to ensure that individuals cannot be identified.

War Pensions: Mesothelioma

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the potential number of mesothelioma claims by veterans in the next five years.

Guto Bebb: It is estimated that there could be eight successful claims per month from veterans for the condition mesothelioma, totalling 480 over the next five years.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in Scotland receive a child element under universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The available information on the number of households in receipt of additional Universal Credit support for parents is published and can be accessed at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Social Security Benefits: Liverpool Walton

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many sanctions have been made against claimants in Liverpool Walton constituency in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Alok Sharma: The available information on Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support and Universal Credit sanction decisions by parliamentary constituency is published and can be accessed at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.htmlWe engage at a personal and individual level with all of our claimants and are committed to tailoring the support that we give, and any conditionality requirements to the specific circumstances of the individuals.We take a number of steps to make sure our decisions are fair. When considering whether a sanction is appropriate, a Decision Maker will take all the claimant’s individual circumstances, including any health conditions or disabilities and any evidence of good cause, into account before deciding whether a sanction is warranted. We have a well-established system of hardship payments, available as a safeguard if a claimant demonstrates that they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs, such as accommodation, heating, food and hygiene, as a result of their sanction.

Jobcentres: Liverpool

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations her Department has received on the effect of the closure of Norris Green Jobcentre Plus office on the local community.

Alok Sharma: In the 6 months prior to the closure, approximately 11 representations were received, mainly in the form of Ministerial correspondence. However, since the merger of staff and services from Norris Green Jobcentre into West Derby and Everton North Jobcentres in September 2017, there have been no representations received. An outreach arrangement in the community is in place within Norris Green Library, in addition to the full range of services available at the Jobcentre Plus offices at West Derby and Everton North.

Funeral Payments: Children

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for funeral expenses payments for children under (a) two, (b) five and (c) 18 years have been made in each of the last three years.

Kit Malthouse: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants  of Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) received less than two months notice of the closure of SMI.

Kit Malthouse: Data on the number of claimants who will have less than 2 months’ notice of the introduction of SMI on 6 April 2018 is not available. A managed information provision process began in July 2017 to inform all existing recipients of SMI benefit of the new scheme. The regulations contain provision for all claimants to be given at least 6 weeks from the loan offer to make a decision whether to accept or decline an SMI loan before their SMI benefit payments cease. This 6 week period may run beyond 6 April 2018.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the ending of Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) on (a)  homeowners who are recipients of SMI and (b) mortgage lenders if claimants do not take up the Government loan scheme.

Kit Malthouse: Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) is not ending. The scheme will continue to provide financial support owner-occupiers in times of need in exactly the same way as it does now. Claimants and mortgage lenders will not see any difference in the payments they receive. The only difference is that we will require repayment of the loan once the property is sold, subject to there being sufficient equity available. Mortgage lenders will be notified when a claimant's SMI benefit payments cease. Lenders are required under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulations to engage with borrowers to discuss how they will meet their loan commitments.

Poverty: Wales

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been deemed to be living in in-work poverty in each (a) constituency in Wales and (b) ward in Delyn in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: National statistics on the number of people living in in-work relative low income are set out in the annual "Households Below Average Income" publication. The numbers of people living in in-work relative low income is not available at constituency or ward level in this publication because the survey sample sizes are too small to support the production of robust estimates at this geography.The percentage of working age adults living in relative low income by economic status at a UK level can be found in file “5_workingage_timeseries_risk.ods”, table 5_11ts and the number of working age adults living in relative low income for Wales can be found in file “5_workingage_timeseries_region.ods”, table 5.18ts.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/599136/hbai-2015-2016-supporting-ods-files.zip

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will provide a bespoke HMRC helpline for recipients of a Mineworkers' Pension who have received incorrect tax information.

Guy Opperman: We have no plans to set up a bespoke helpline for members of the Mineworkers Pension Scheme who received incorrect tax information. HMRC are aware of this issue and have advised that members who are concerned about their tax position can access their Personal Tax Account by visiting www.Gov.uk or contacting HMRC on their usual helpline: 0300 200 3300.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect on household income of the replacement of Support for Mortgage Interest with a new loans-based system from April 2018.

Kit Malthouse: Support for mortgage interest provides protection for home owners from the threat of repossession. The new loan scheme will provide exactly the same level of support and, thus, exactly the same level of protection against repossession. Claimants and mortgage lenders will not see any difference in the payments they receive.Recovery of SMI loans will not be sought until the property is sold or transferred. If the amount of equity available after the sale of the property is less than the amount due to be recovered the balance will be written off.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has revised the assumptions set out on page 8 of the impact assessment on Converting support for mortgage interest from a benefit into a loan that (a) 5 per cent of eligible working age claimants and (b) 8 per cent of eligible pension age claimants will not claim support for mortgage interest when it is converted into a loan.

Kit Malthouse: Assumptions, including the take up rate, used to forecast annual payments in loans for Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans will be reviewed following the introduction of the loan.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2018 to Question 125704, on Mortgages: Interest Payments, how the application process for the new loan will operate in cases where there is an existing charge on the property.

Kit Malthouse: Pre-existing charges on property have no impact on the SMI loans process. SMI loans will be offered to all eligible claimants regardless of any pre-existing charges on property.

Universal Credit

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many couples receiving universal credit (a) with dependent children and (b) with no children have (i) one partner in work and (ii) both partners in work.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.The available information on the number of couples, (a) with dependent children who are in receipt of the childcare element of Universal Credit, and (b) with no children, is published and can be accessed at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/.Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

Universal Credit

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many couples receiving universal credit have a child under the age of three in their household.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Statistics on the number of children aged 0-4 years in out-of-work Universal Credit households on 31 May 2016, can be found in the Children in Out-of-work Benefit Household official statistics published in November 2017 available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-in-out-of-work-benefit-households-31-may-2016

Universal Credit

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many couples receiving universal credit have nominated one partner as being responsible for a child; and how many of those so nominated are (a) female and (b) male.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Plastics: Beaches

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the quantity of plastics washed up on UK beaches in each year since 2015.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Data from Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean show consistent levels of litter on UK beaches. The information is in the table below: YearNumber of litter items per 100 meters201771820166492015676 MCS have found that plastic fragments, fishing-related litter and packaging are the most common types of litter found, with variable trends in the specific categories. This is consistent with the findings in our recent National Environment Indicators.

Dame Glenys Stacey

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial remuneration Dame Glenys Stacey will receive from his Department for undertaking the review of the rules associated with the current subsidy payments system; and how many staff will be assisting her in that review.

George Eustice: Dame Glenys’s salary will not change as a result of her appointment to this review. The review will be supported by a small secretariat function based in Defra, the details of which are currently being finalised.

Agriculture

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take to help safeguard the future of smaller farms.

George Eustice: Farms of all sizes, including small holdings, are part of the rich diversity of agriculture in the United Kingdom. The Government intends to continue supporting farms of all sizes where the benefits of that spending are clear. Our proposed ‘agricultural transition’ period away from current Direct Payments in England will provide time for farmers to adjust. Reductions to direct payments will apply to larger landowners first. We recognise this will be harder for some farms than others. Through our farming consultation we welcome views on how we can help farmers in England improve their productivity and support them to deliver environmental and cultural benefits.

Plastic Bags: Fees and Charges

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that retailers pass on the full cost of the five pence charge for plastic carrier bags.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money has been raised by the five pence plastic bag levy from each of the ten largest retailers since that policy was introduced.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of the revenue raised by the five pence plastic bag levy has been allocated to good causes by each of the ten largest retailers since the introduction of the policy.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Since the introduction of the five pence plastic bag levy, our data indicates that the ten largest retailers in England have raised around £94.8 million in net proceeds and that approximately £74.4 million towards a variety of good causes covering the arts, education, environment, health, heritage and sports as well as local causes chosen by customers or staff. The regulation does not specify to record where the proceeds of the charge are distributed. Retailers are, however, expected and have been encouraged by Ministers to donate the proceeds to good causes such as charities or community groups. Defra publishes records supplied in accordance with the regulation by 31st July each reporting year on GOV. UK.

Plastics

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage Parish Councils to adopt single-use plastic-free policies.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We published our 25 Year Environment Plan on 11 January. This states our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste and, in particular, the waste from single use plastics. The steps we will take to achieve this include exploring the introduction of plastic free aisles by retailers; exploring how we can develop our producer responsibility schemes to give producers more incentives to design more resource efficient products; and extending the carrier bag charge to small retailers. HM Treasury published a call for evidence on 13 March that seeks views on how the tax system or charges could reduce the amount of single use plastics waste by reducing the unnecessary production of these items; increasing reuse wherever feasible; and increasing the levels of recycling. The Government would like to see all levels of government support the 25YEP and its initiatives, including parish councils.

Home Office

Immigration: Children

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) birth and (b) adoptive children with parents who are British citizens have been denied entry to the UK in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office does not hold the information in the format requested.Refusal data is published in the Home Office transparency data https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2017-data-tables

Greater Manchester Police: Finance

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department estimates that its funding allocated to Greater Manchester Police will increase or decrease in real terms in each year until 2019-20.

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of funding for Greater Manchester Police.

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of the change in the level of police funding on the capacity of local police forces in Greater Manchester to investigate burglaries.

Mr Nick Hurd: In January I announced the police funding settlement for 2018/19 which will see an additional £450m invested in the policing system, around £270m direct to PCCs. I understand that the Greater Manchester Mayor has chosen to use his increased precept flexibility, which will provide around £10.4m additional funding for Greater Manchester Police in 2018/19. The Mayor has said that he will use this additional funding to improve services delivered to the public. I spoke to police leaders in every police force in England and Wales about the demands they face, including representatives from Greater Manchester and this settlement reflects the evidence they provided.Decisions about the allocation of police resources and deployment of officers are for Chief Constables and democratically accountable PCCs. They are responsible for ensuring the needs of the local community are met.

Abortion: Protest

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Public Space Protection Orders in preventing intimidation around abortion clinics.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office review into harassment and intimidation near abortion clinics is under way. Evidence has been sought from police forces, healthcare providers, local authorities, representative groups of healthcare professionals, protesters and groups that gather in the vicinity of healthcare clinics and people who have sought medical assistance or advice. This evidence is now being assessed.

Asylum

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to the Answer of 13 March 2018 to Question 131300, how many requests for transfer into the UK under the Dublin Regulation in 2017 were refused; and for what reasons those requests were refused.

Caroline Nokes: The Dublin III Regulation is a long-standing EU mechanism to determine Member States’ responsibilities for examining asylum claims.Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency, regularly publishes data on transfers under the Dublin Regulation which includes data on formal request refusals . The 2017 data publication is expected to be published shortly. The latest publication can be found here:http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Dublin_statistics_on_countries_responsible_for_asylum_applicationThe Dublin III Regulation clearly sets out the acceptance criteria for requests and where these are not met the request will be refused.

Immigrants: Detainees

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to the Answer of 12 March 2018 to Question 131303, of the 55 pregnant women detained in the immigration detention estate in 2017, how many were subsequently (a) released back into the community and (b) granted refugee or humanitarian protection status.

Caroline Nokes: As my earlier answer of 12 March 2018 to the honourable member stated, it may not always be appropriate for healthcare professionals to disclose confidential medical information that the patient has asked not to be disclosed.Subject to these limitations, Home Office management information indicates that 53 pregnant women were detained in the immigration detention estate in 2017, of which 43 were granted temporary admission and released into the community. Of those pregnant women released, 3 sought refugee or humanitarian protection status following release and 2 applications were then granted. These statistics have been taken from a live operational database. As such, numbers may change as information on that system is updated.

Crime: Victims

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what Government funding has been made available to people who have experienced (a) child sexual exploitation, (b) domestic abuse and domestic violence, (c) sexual violence and sexual exploitation and (d) modern slavery in each of the last five years .

Victoria Atkins: The previous Government provided £40 million of dedicated funding for domestic and sexual violence services between 2011 and 2015 equating to £10 million per year. This funding was extended until April 2016, supplemented by an additional £10 million for refuges and a £3.5 million fund to boost the provision of domestic violence services including refuges.In 2016 we published our Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy in which the Government committed to provide £80 million to support victims of VAWG over the spending period, supplemented by an additional £20 million for domestic abuse services announced in the 2017 Budget.This increased dedicated funding of £100 million to support VAWG victims has been supplemented by additional funds from other Government departments including £15 million from the Police Transformation Fund, £9 million from the Tampon Tax Fund, £16.9 millions from the Children’s Social Care Innovation Fund, £27m from NHS England to fund 47 Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) in England, jointly with the police and local authorities, and £63m annually from MoJ to PCCs for Victims Services.Between 2015-2018 the Government has provided £7 million per year for funding for non-statutory organisations supporting victims and survivors of sexual abuse, including child sexual abuse. Government funding that has been made available to people who have experienced modern slavery in the last 5 years can be found in the annual report available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652366/2017_uk_annual_report_on_modern_slavery.pdf

Right of Abode: Veterans

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 4 April 2017 to Question 69321, on Right of Abode: Veterans, what the timetable is for the decision to be made on whether to grant the right of abode to former British-Hong Kong servicemen.

Caroline Nokes: We have received a number of representations on this matter, all of which are being carefully considered.

Police: Finance

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes in the level of police funding on the ability of police forces to maintain financial reserves.

Mr Nick Hurd: I announced the police funding settlement for 2018-19 which will see an additional £450m invested in the policing system, around £270m direct to PCCs. This strong and comprehensive settlement combined with the current levels of reserves will enable the vast majority of PCCs to protect or improve frontline policing.As at March 2017, PCCs held over £1.6bn of public money in usable resource reserves, significantly more than in 2010-11. Reserves are an important tool for police leaders, but this is taxpayers’ money and we need real transparency about how it is being used. That is why in January the Government published information on police reserves and provided guidance to PCCs making clear that they must be more open with taxpayers about their plans to use them.

Church Commissioners

Churches: Blackburn

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2018 to Question 131116 on Churches: Blackburn, what assessment has been made of the potential merits of drafting contracts for church spires and towers to host broadband and mobile facilities which take into account circumstances in which Church authorities subsequently wish to demolish such buildings to make alternative use of Church land.

Dame Caroline Spelman: The Cathedral and Church Buildings Division of the Archbishops’ Council and the Church of England’s Parish Buying team are currently drafting guidance for those parishes that wish to engage with the project. Agreements will be entered into on a parish-by-parish basis. The guidance being produced for parishes will include advice on termination of contracts arising from the closure of a church.

Cabinet Office

Motor Vehicles: Brakes

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has plans to update Government procurement guidelines to ensure that only vehicles procured by (a) Government Departments, (b) public agencies and (c) public sector contractors are fitted with the latest sensing Autonomous Emergency Braking.

Oliver Dowden: It is for individual Contracting Authorities to determine their specifications for new vehicles according to their requirements.

Government Departments: Data Protection

Damien Moore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to counter leaks of sensitive material across Whitehall Departments.

Oliver Dowden: It has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on specific security controls. Guidance is set for Departments on the protection of all Government assets within the Security Policy Framework. It is then up to each Department to have policies and procedures in place. Leaks of any Government information or material are not acceptable and the Government takes such incidents very seriously.

Cabinet Office: Brexit

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department plans to spend on projects relating to the UK leaving the EU in the next five years; and if he will list the projects to which that funding has been assigned.

Oliver Dowden: HM Treasury has already allocated departments nearly £700 million to prepare for Brexit: £412m for DIT, FCO and DExEU over the parliament at Autumn Statement 2016 and nearly £300m across a number of departments from the Reserve in 17/18.At Autumn Budget 2017 HM Treasury made another £3bn of additional funding available over 18/19 and 19/20 – £1.5bn in each year. We are currently working with HM Treasury to determine our allocation for 18/19 with the aim to agree this soon.Departmental allocations for 19/20 will be agreed later on in the year and decisions on funding in 20/21 and beyond will be decided at the next Spending Review. This is because requirements in these years will be heavily affected by what is agreed in our negotiations with the EU.

Carillion

Ian Murray: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Oral Statement of 15 January 2018, Official Report, column 624, on Carillion, how many calls the Carillion helpline established through Jobcentre Plus, has received from people based in Scotland.

Oliver Dowden: Carillion staff with employment concerns are able to access targeted support from DWP's Rapid Response Service (RRS) via Jobcentre Plus's network of local offices and its national helpline. Given the RRS is a general redundancy service, information on calls specific to Carillion workers is not held centrally.The RSS provides advice and support to employers and employees facing the potential threat of redundancy. The Service is co-ordinated nationally by the National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus. “The Rapid Response Service (RRS) is delivered in partnership with a range of national and local partners, including National Careers Service and local service providers which include local training providers, employers, HMRC, Money Advice Service and the skills bodies. Where no partner support is available, the Rapid Response Service budget (part of the Flexible Support Fund) may be used to fill gaps in provision.

Carillion

Ian Murray: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Oral Statement, 15 January 2018, Official Report, column 624, on Carillion, how many people based in Scotland who contacted the Carillion helpline established through Jobcentre Plus, have gained (a) further employment, (b) training and (c) educational courses.

Oliver Dowden: In Scotland, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) co-ordinates the response to redundancy situations through Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE). DWP Rapid Response Service (RRS) is a key partner. DWP officials have been liaising with Scottish counterparts as necessary to provide support to affected employees.

Lobbying: Registration

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will review the the fees for the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 in consultation with representatives from (a) public affairs and lobbying trade associations, (b) civil society groups and (c) transparency campaigners.

Chloe Smith: The Government has committed to hold the fee level at £1000 until at least 2020. Further information on this can be found within the ORCL 2017-18 Business Plan, which can be found here: http://registrarofconsultantlobbyists.org.uk/2017-2018- business-plan/

Life Expectancy

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the projected life expectancy rates for (a) males and (b) females in each 10 year cohort from birth.

Chloe Smith: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 13 March 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.


UKSA Response 
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UKSA Response 
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Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.


UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 67.22 KB)




UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 164.43 KB)

Departmental Coordination

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2018 to Question 129524 on departmental coordination, whether his Department has targets for the (a) proportion of processes to be converged and (b) timescale for completing that convergent shared service provision.

Oliver Dowden: The Shared Services Strategy for Government committed to converging on a single set of processes for all HR and Finance transactional services across the Civil Service. To date, this work has focussed on designing and agreeing processes for HR and Finance. That design phase is now complete. HR and Finance are now working with departments to understand the gap between the current position and compliance with these agreed processes. This information will be used to set dates and targets for compliance as per the ambition set out in the strategy.Further information can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-shared-services-strategy-for-government

Foreign Nationals: Birth Rate

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of adults born in the UK to non-UK parents who are permanently living in the UK and who have not established UK citizenship.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
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Electoral Register: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate the Government has made of the number of eligible people who are not on the electoral register in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands.

Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office does not hold information on the number of eligible electors in local authorities. A range of registration statistics is available from the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) website: www.ons.gov.uk Estimates of the number of eligible people not included on electoral registers are published occasionally by the Electoral Commission, but not at sub-regional level. The latest report on register completeness and accuracy was produced by the Electoral Commission in 2016 and is available online: www.electoralcommission.org.uk. The report estimates register completeness in the West Midlands at 88 per cent in December 2015, compared to a national average of 84 per cent.

Perinatal Mortality

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many stillbirths were recorded in each month of the last five years.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
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Treasury

Pensions: Tax Allowances

Robert Courts: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much was paid out in Lifetime Allowance charges in each year between 2010-2011 to 2017-2018; and what estimate he has made of the amount to be paid in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-2020 and (c) 2010-21.

John Glen: Individuals whose pension savings exceed the Lifetime Allowance (LTA) are generally liable for tax when payments are made from their pension scheme.Tax paid on LTA charges for 2010/11 to 2017/18 (year to date)Tax YearTotal tax paid (rounded to the nearest £10m2010/11£10 million2011/12£20 million2012/13£20 million2013/14£40 million2014/15£40 million2015/16£80 million2016/17£110 million2017/18£120 million[1]   Numbers provided for tax collected may be subject to significant change over time as in some cases pension providers can claim back tax paid. For example, this can occur where an individual has protections above the current Lifetime Allowance, or where not all of the payment would have been subject to the Lifetime Allowance. HMRC does not have estimates for future payments of LTA charges for 2018-19, 2019-20 or 2020-21. Any tax received from LTA charges forms a part of the overall Income Tax forecast. [1] Please note the 2017/18 tax year runs until April 2018, and so further tax charges could come through for this year which are not reflected in the above tables. The number provided represents a year-to-date figure.

Revenue and Customs Digital Technology Services: Staff

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 85 of the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17, how many employees of Revenue and Customs Digital Technology Services Ltd are line managed by employees of HMRC.

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 85 of the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17 and the oral evidence of the Chief Executive of and  Permanent Secretary, HMRC, to the Treasury Subcommittee on 4 December 2017, HC 614, Question 50, whether employees of Revenue and Customs Digital Technology Services Ltd will be guaranteed a job within that organisation if they are able to travel to an HMRC regional centre.

Chris Law: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 85 of the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17, whether HMRC provides estates facilities free of charge to Revenue and Customs Digital Technology Services Ltd.

Mel Stride: 34 Revenue and Customs Digital Technology Services Ltd (RCDTS) employees deliver RCDTS services whilst line managed by employees of HMRC. RCDTS employees affected by changes in Regional Centres would be treated as priority candidates for any jobs within RCDTS. HM Revenue and Customs provides RCDTS with estates services, for which it charges.

Care Homes: Minimum Wage

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many members of the Social Care Compliance Scheme there are.

Mel Stride: The government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum and Living Wage (NMW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW should contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue & HMRC review all complaints that are referred to them. The Social Care Compliance Scheme (SCCS) was introduced on 1 November 2017 to provide an interim enforcement approach to the social care sector. From 1 November 2017 until 11 March 2018, a total of 620 social care providers have been accepted to join SCCS. The scheme will end on 31 March 2019.

Duty Free Allowances: EU Countries

Andrew Percy: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will launch a consultation on the merits of duty free sales to EU countries after the UK leaves the EU.

Mel Stride: The issues around duty-free are complex, with a range of possible approaches. At this stage the government cannot make assumptions about the tax rules at the EU border, or pre-empt the outcome of negotiations.

Children: Day Care

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2018 to Question 124788, what the evidential basis is for the Government’s estimation that parents with children under the age of twelve have higher childcare costs than parents with children under the age of fifteen.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has plans to publish information on the number of parents eligible for tax-free childcare by constituency.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2018 to Question 127416, whether his Department has plans to collect data on the number of parents who (a) plan to stop and (b) have stopped using childcare vouchers in order to use tax-free childcare.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2018 to Question 124451, what the evidential basis is for the Government’s estimate that 1.5 million families with childcare costs will be eligible for tax-free childcare; and for what reasons that estimated number differs from the number of families currently in receipt of childcare vouchers.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the effect on families with children between the age of 12 and 15 who (a) do not claim childcare vouchers before the closure of the scheme but would meet the scheme's eligibility requirements after its closure, and (b) cannot claim for tax-free childcare because of the age of their child.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government announced the closure of the childcare voucher scheme to new entrants at Budget 2016. Therefore, parents of 12 to 15 year olds have either decided not to join the voucher scheme or are unable to join the scheme because they are self-employed or their employer does not offer vouchers. Parents who meet the eligibility requirements will not necessarily have an employer who offers them. Information on the cost of childcare, by child age, is published by the Department for Education in table 4.7 of the additional tables document of the childcare and early years survey of parents, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/childcare-and-early-years-survey-of-parents-2017The median childcare cost used in the table is the more accurate for comparing childcare costs as it is less affected by statistical outliers than the mean. The estimate of eligible families for Tax-Free Childcare was derived using Family Resource Survey which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-resources-survey--2. It is not possible break this down by local authority. Tax-Free Childcare has a wider reach than childcare vouchers. Unlike vouchers which are reliant on whether an employer chooses to offer them, all eligible parents are able to access the Tax-Free Childcare, including the self-employed. Only an estimated 5% of employers offer childcare vouchers. Data on how many parents intend to, or have stopped using childcare vouchers in order to use Tax-Free childcare is not available.

Income Tax: Thornbury and Yate

Luke Hall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in the Thornbury and Yate constituency his Department estimates will benefit from the rise in tax free personal allowance during the 2018-2019 financial year.

Luke Hall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in South Gloucestershire his Department estimates will benefit from the rise in tax free personal allowance during the 2018-2019 financial year.

Luke Hall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people in the South West his Department estimates will benefit from the rise in tax free personal allowance during the 2018-2019 financial year.

Mel Stride: Since the start of the 2015 Parliament, increases to the personal allowance (up to £11,850 in 2018-19) are expected to cut income tax for 2.8 million individuals in the South West, which includes Gloucestershire and the Parliamentary Constituency of Thornbury and Yate. These estimates are based on the 2014-15 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s November 2017 Economic and Fiscal Outlook. HM Treasury does not publish this information at constituency level or unitary authority level.

Child Care Vouchers

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Secretary of State for Education's oral contribution of 13th March 2018, Official Report, column 802, what discussions he has had with employers on the potential confusion over eligibility for childcare vouchers in the middle of the tax year.

Tracy Brabin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Education of 13 March 2018, Official Report, Column 802, what steps his Department is taking to alert (a) employers and (b) employees to the extension of the childcare vouchers scheme.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Revenue & Customs has published guidance on childcare vouchers which is regularly updated. The guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/childcare-vouchers. HMRC are working with employers and representative bodies so that they understand and can advise their employees about the extension of the childcare vouchers scheme.

Tonnage Tax

Ian Mearns: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the change in tax liabilities for shipping companies in the tonnage tax scheme in each financial year from 2015-16 to 2018-19.

Mel Stride: Information on the cost of Tonnage Tax is published in the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) National Statistics table ‘Estimated Cost of Principal Tax Reliefs’, available on GOV.UK, including estimates for 2016-17 and 2017-18. Data are not available for 2018-19. The full publication can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/675345/Dec_17_Main_Reliefs_Final.pdf

Carer's Allowance

Ms Marie Rimmer: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27th February 2018 to Question 129366, what financial support he plans to provide to working parents of disabled children in full-time education aged 16 to 20 and whose earnings status makes them ineligible for carer's allowance.

Elizabeth Truss: Low income households can be eligible for in-work benefits, such as Working Tax Credit, if the household works a minimum number of hours, for example a couple with children must work at least 24 hours, with one partner working at least 16 hours. The government is also reforming the current system of working age benefits. Universal Credit will ensure that individuals working more hours always end up with more income in their pockets.

Film: Tax Allowances

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will set out all films that benefited from UK film tax relief in each of the last five years.

Mel Stride: This information cannot be released because of HMRC’s duty of taxpayer confidentiality.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions of 13 March 2018, Official Report, column 768, on what date he plans to provide further details of the roll out of childcare support in Northern Ireland similar to 30 hours of funded childcare in England.

Elizabeth Truss: Early education is a devolved matter for a restored Northern Ireland Executive. We have delivered a successful 30 hours policy for working parents in England, and will provide advice to the Northern Ireland parties based on our experience of developing and administering policies in England.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

National Lottery: West Yorkshire

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much National Lottery funding as been allocated to projects in (a) Leeds North West constituency and (b) West Yorkshire in each year since 2010.

Tracey Crouch: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 16 March 2018.The correct answer should have been:

Information on projects in receipt of a Lottery award can be found on the National Lottery Grants Database at the following link: http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk and from Lottery Distributors’ own websites. The grants database can be sorted on a national, regional, local authority and constituency level. West Yorkshire is not a definable search area under the parameters of the Database. The table below therefore shows total value of the National Lottery grants awarded between 2010-11 and 2016-17 in Leeds North West constituency and to local authorities comprising the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The figures for grants awarded in 2017-18 will be confirmed at the end of March 2018. Leeds North West (constituency) £West Yorkshire Combined Authority £2010508,87830,1543722011240,04740,616,21420121,170,92876,986,03520131,221,30453,423,01420141,396,641155,231,7382015294,82741,626,14820162,912,21666,072,087

Tracey Crouch: Information on projects in receipt of a Lottery award can be found on the National Lottery Grants Database at the following link: http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk and from Lottery Distributors’ own websites. The grants database can be sorted on a national, regional, local authority and constituency level. West Yorkshire is not a definable search area under the parameters of the Database. The table below therefore shows total value of the National Lottery grants awarded between 2010-11 and 2016-17 in Leeds North West constituency and to local authorities comprising the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The figures for grants awarded in 2017-18 will be confirmed at the end of March 2018. Leeds North West (constituency) £West Yorkshire Combined Authority £2010508,87830,1543722011240,04740,616,21420121,170,92876,986,03520131,221,30453,423,01420141,396,641155,231,7382015294,82741,626,14820162,912,21666,072,087

Tourism

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many domestic trips for the purpose of visiting friends and relatives were made in England in 2017.

Michael Ellis: Data held by VisitBritain shows that between January and November of 2017, domestic visits to friends and relatives accounted for 31.1m visits made in England and during these visits, £3.4bn was spent.

Artificial Intelligence

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how the Government Office for Artificial Intelligence plans to improve diversity in the artificial intelligence workforce.

Margot James: We will work with industry, with research and teaching institutions, and with organisations with relevant expertise, to identify what measures (in the UK and in other countries) are most effective in increasing diversity in this workforce, and we will work with partners to promote best practice. We already work with industry to address gender diversity by supporting the Tech Talent Charter, a private sector initiative designed to promote diversity in the tech workforce. Signatories pledge to implement recruitment and retention practices that will address gender imbalances. Over 180 companies, including international tech companies, SMEs, startups and charities have already signed the Charter.

Gambling: Children

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what (a) legislative frameworks and (b) guidance are in place to ensure the protection of children from practices that (i) encourage them to gamble and (ii) expose them to situations that may lead to gambling through in-game purchasing in video games.

Tracey Crouch: Protecting children and the vulnerable from being harmed or exploited by gambling is a core objective of the regulation of gambling in Great Britain, and a priority for the government. Under the Gambling Act 2005 it is an offence to invite a child or young person to gamble. This includes, in particular, intentionally bringing to the attention of a child or young person information about gambling with a view to encouraging them to gamble. Where gambling facilities are offered to British consumers using in-game items which can be converted into cash or traded for items of real-world value, then such activities must be licensed by the Gambling Commission. The Gambling Commission has a range of powers to enforce compliance, including bringing criminal action against unlicensed operators that offer gambling to children. The Video Standards Council Rating Board is the statutory body responsible for the age rating of video games in the UK using the Pan-European Games Information (PEGI) system. Pictographic content descriptors supplement the PEGI age ratings, and there is a descriptor for games that contain elements that may encourage gambling. Games with this type of content carry a PEGI 12, 16 or 18 age ratings. The VSC Rating Board is working with PEGI to assess further steps to inform consumers about purchases in games. The Competition and Markets Authority provides guidance and advice for parents and carers, in respect of children’s use of online games. The advice includes information on checking device settings to prevent children from making in-play purchases, as well as guidance on game descriptors. The guidance can be found on its website at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/buying-features-in-online-games-advice-for-parents-and-carers/childrens-app-and-online-games-advice-for-parents-and-care

Mobile Phones: Rural Areas

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to improve mobile phone signals in rural areas.

Margot James: As set out in our 2017 5G Strategy our ambition is for the UK to have good quality connectivity where people live, work and travel. This is why we reformed planning laws in England in 2016, reformed the Electronic Communications Code in 2017 and signed an Accord with the Church of England in February 2018 to make it easier and cheaper to install digital infrastructure across the UK including rural areas. We also welcome Ofcom’s consultation, launched on 9 March, which outlines potential new licence obligations for rural coverage as part of the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction. This will further help drive coverage improvements for consumers.

Charities: Fund Raising

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support his Department is providing to charities to improve their digital fundraising infrastructure.

Tracey Crouch: This Government is committed to making giving as easy and compelling as possible. In 2017 we launched the Small Charities Fundraising Training Programme, delivered by a partnership led by the Foundation for Social Improvement. This will provide over 5,000 subsidised fundraising training opportunities for small charities. As part of this offer over 600 opportunities have been made available for charities to develop their digital skills and online presence, with a further 1,000 opportunities to be made available next year.

Cultural Heritage: Finance

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which projects have (a) been funded by and (b) had funding approved from the Cultural Development Fund; and what the overall value is of that funding for those projects.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the overall value of the Cultural Development Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Ellis: No funding has yet been awarded via the Cultural Development Fund. We will announce further details in due course.

Exercise: Children

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of trends in the weekly level of physical activity for people aged 16 years and under since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch: Levels of physical activity for children and young people are captured through the Active Lives (Children and Young People) Survey which was launched in schools in September 2017. Sport England developed the survey in response to the extension of its remit to cover children aged 5+, in the Sporting Future strategy published by Government in December 2015. The survey will provide robust data on how children (aged 5-15) engage with sport and physical activity. The first set of results will be available in early 2019. Prior to the development of the Active Lives (Children and Young People) Survey, activity levels of 14-16 year olds were measured through the Active People Survey, which collected data from the period of October 2005 to September 2016. Data is available online: https://www.sportengland.org/research/about-our-research/active-people-survey/. In addition, some data on children’s sport participation is also gathered through the Taking Part survey. Data is available online: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sat--2

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Public Expenditure

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of his Department's spending by region and constituent part of the UK in each year since 2010.

Margot James: The Department does not collect information on spending by region or constituent part of the UK.

Leader of the House

Sinn Fein: Finance

Lady Hermon: To ask the Leader of the House, with which political parties she has discussed reducing the amount of representative money given to Sinn Fein; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The issue of representative money is primarily a matter for the House. No discussions have taken place on this issue.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Assembly: Members

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to her oral contribution of 12 March 2018, Official Report, column 642, if she will set out the timescale to receive full and final representations from the Northern Ireland political parties before she makes a final decision on reducing the salaries of Members of the Legislative Assembly; and if she will make a statement.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to her oral contribution of 12 March 2018, Official Report, column 642, if she will publish the full and final representations from the Northern Ireland political parties about reducing the salaries of Members of the Legislative Assembly; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: As the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland told the House in her statement on 12 March 2018, she will seek to introduce legislation to take a power to vary MLA pay. The UK Government would welcome representations from the Northern Ireland political parties before and during that process, to inform the exercise of that power, and will publish in full any such representations.

Attorney General

Offences against Children: Prosecutions

Lucy Allan: To ask the Attorney General, how many successful prosecutions there have been for child sexual abuse-related offences in (a) Telford constituency and (b) England in each year since 2010.

Robert Buckland: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) provide information on the number of defendants whose prosecution was completed, where the case has been flagged as child abuse, and where the principal offence at finalisation is categorised as a sexual offence. The CPS definition of child abuse covers any case where the victim was under 18 years of age at the time of the offence and allegations or crimes perpetrated by both adults and under 18s. The CPS is a national service delivered at a local level by 14 Regional Areas. While prosecution outcomes are not collated for individual constituencies, records are held showing outcomes by individual Police Force Areas. West Mercia Police Force Area is responsible for policing the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire (including Telford and Wrekin) and Worcestershire. Since April 2010 the number of defendants prosecuted, by outcome, in the West Mercia Police Force Area and England, for cases flagged as child abuse and whose principal offence was identified as a sexual offence, is as follows: (a) West Mercia Police Force Area-ConvictionsUnsuccessfulTOTAL-Volume%Volume%2010-201110475.4%3424.6%1382011-20129676.8%2923.2%1252012-20138785.3%1514.7%1022013-20149676.8%2923.2%1252014-201513482.2%2917.8%1632015-201615670.0%6730.0%2232016-201716680.6%4019.4%206Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System(b) England-ConvictionsUnsuccessfulTOTAL-Volume%Volume%2010-20113,27874.2%1,14125.8%4,4192011-20123,30676.0%1,04324.0%4,3492012-20132,84976.1%89423.9%3,7432013-20143,14376.7%95423.3%4,0972014-20153,71574.0%1,30426.0%5,0192015-20164,36475.3%142924.7%5,7932016-20175,00775.0%1,66725.0%6,674Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System It is not possible to disaggregate figures to show separately the volume and outcome of proceedings for individual offences within the Sexual Offences Category. A single defendant may be charged with more than one offence.